Wrath
by Nequam95
Summary: After the devastating Battle of Jakku, a new threat emerges from the Unknown Regions, preparing to strike at the heart of the galaxy. Three heroes decide to do everything they can in order to stop them. The first one tries to gather allies for the upcoming invasion. The second leads an armada to certain doom, in hope of delaying the inevitable. The third remains to be forgotten.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I:  
** Ambush

A lone wanderer sat in the cantina. He slowly finished his drink, silently admiring the taste. He had been on Nar Shaddaa long enough to know that only a few of these places could provide something worth paying for.

As he put down the glass, a two-horned devaronian started to laugh at the other side of the room. The red-faced alien won the opponent's slave girl, and in response, his partner decided to risk the poor woman's daughter as well.

The wanderer looked down to his bag, thinking about the lightsaber hidden under the brown leather. He wanted to get it in his hand, and cut both players into pieces, but he was forced to abandon the idea.

In the old days, when he was twenty or so, he would have done it without hesitation, but these were different times. There was a meeting in place, one that had a large take on the fate of the galaxy. He had to be here in order to make it happen, calmly sitting in front of the table as Luke Skywalker steps in. Stirring trouble could scare him away, making him believe that he is walking into an ambush.

He ordered another drink, and the old times struck him once more. Those days were much simpler. It was only him and the pain he choose to carry within him. There was no war, no wife, no daughter and no dreadful entities who promised to lay waste on the galaxy. Many believed he was the only one capable of stopping them, which made him indispensable in their eyes.

While most people would love to be important, he hated the fame in its entirety. In the old times, he could activate his lightsaber and slaughter anyone who deserved so – knowing that if he gets killed, not a soul on the galaxy would shed a tear because of it. Now, if he dies, many would cry out in pain, and even more would die by a foe that he failed to diminish.

As time slowly passed by, someone approached him. He looked up, taking a sip from his drink. It wasn't Luke Skywalker, but his newest associate: Mara Jade. The woman sat down in front of him, and got to the point without any introduction whatsoever.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she asked, locking eyes with the stranger.

"Jaris Fenn, the Ex-Jedi, at your service," he introduced himself. Most knew him by this name, and by this title. He never wanted to be called like this, but right now, it served its purpose.

"Get to the point," Mara snapped. She had little patience for the likes of him, especially in the situation she and Luke found themselves in.

However, Jaris he was patient. He had to be.

"You are Luke's associate, I presume," he answered, and signed to the waitress droid. "Two more, please."

"Fine, let's pretend we don't know each other," she sighed.

"We don't. We just heard some stories," he answered in a calm, yet determined manner.

"Yes, I heard of about asshole who murdered fifty thousand people aboard a Super Star Destroyer, and thinks he is some sort of a hero."

"Funny, your associate believes the same thing," he answered. "I'm not a hero, I'm just a wretched soul who wants to save a bunch of people, and needs some help doing so."

"What people?" she frowned.

"All the people," he answered. The drinks have arrived. Mara didn't touch it, but he was yearning for some fuel. "I ventured to the Unknown Regions with my crew. I found an ancient civilization of religious fanatics who believe that they were created by some sort of eternal being who wants to kill every sentient life in the galaxy. They knew about us, thanks to me, and they will wreak havoc in the galaxy unless I stop them."

"Interesting. One would expect to hear from such a force if it indeed exists," Mara answered. She looked at her drink, but she didn't touch it.

"They don't want us to know."

"But you do know. And by the looks of it, you want to muster quite a force under your command to stop them," she crossed her legs under the table. "I tracked your little transactions on Nar Shaddaa. It seems like you collected quite a force already."

"Not that much," he shook his head. "All I've got is a bunch of freighters, some corvettes and an old assault ship. They sure come handy, but there is no way I'm going to take them head on with this. I need the real thing. I need warships: top of the line cruisers, military fighters, capital ships. Hell, even a Super Star Destroyer would come in handy."

Mara smiled, but not in the good way. She wasn't swayed by him, she was simply amused by the amount of nonsense she heard from him.

"Where the hell do you plan to get that?" she asked, trying not to laugh in his face. "We are at war, if you haven't noticed."

"I heard about Jakku," he nodded, recalling the battle that took place six weeks ago. "It was a waste."

"It was a waste?" Mara repeated the question, showing how much it angered her. "Half of the Imperial Navy is gone, alongside with one third of the Republic Fleet, and you are telling me, it was a waste?"

"It was, if the losses prevent us from saving the galaxy," he nodded, taking a sip from his drink.

"We can't get you those kind of ships, nor we, nor the Empire. Not at this point. The war is coming to an end, and both sides are determined to end it, now more than ever. Everyone wants to fight, and everyone wants to take part in this fight, not yours. No one will help you, no one is willing to help you," she explained.

"It's a waste then."

He finished his drink.

"As I said, you already have some forces. I advise you to use them against these aliens, or whatever is your real purpose with them," she told him.

"I can't take them head on," he shook his head.

"Trust me, you won't," she sighed. "I played this game long enough to know that. Use your head, search for another way. There is always one, you just have to find it," she stood up from the talking, and turned away from him.

Jaris stared at her while she walked away. He needed those ships, and if they won't give them what he wants, he will find another way to get them.

He paid for the drinks, and sat out for a walk to his old ship. The cantina was close to the docks, he only had to walk half a mile in the warm, filthy streets of Nar Shaddaa to reach it. As he walked on the busy streets, he saw the devaronian escorting his new slaves with chains attached to their necks. He felt the urge again to make justice, but he couldn't risk his life. Not this time.

The Reaver sat in the docks alone, no one dared to touch it while he was away. The black YT-1930 freighter was ready to take off, getting him back to his fleet hidden in the midst of a nebula. He walked up the docking ramp, strangely, the door opened without pushing the button.

A familiar voice called for him as soon as he stepped into the ship.

"So, how did it go?" Selene asked. The twi'lek stood right next to him, pushing the close button with her robotic arm. Unlike most people, she didn't want to cover it with artificial skin. "Did she tell you to fuck off right away, or did you chat a bit?

"How do you know it was her?" Jaris frowned.

"You really thought Luke would waste his time on you?" she smiled, it was the same mocking, yet graceful smile that he fell in love with.

"I had my hopes up," he nodded.

"Yeah, right," she nodded. "And what now? You want another round with the smugglers or are we finally getting back to it?"

"We are getting back to the fleet, then we will try somewhere else," he nodded, and started off to the cockpit.

"Lead the way, my hero!" Selene nodded.

He stopped, and looked back to her.

"What?" he asked, although he knew what was coming. Selene never used sarcasm when she was in a good mood.

"You left me behind. Again," she snapped, glaring at him like a wild nexu staring at her prey. "You are getting out there alone, every single time, without any escort, and you don't even let me come along."

"I can take care of myself," he answered. He seemed cold, but it hurt. It always hurt when they argued with one another.

"No you can't. You are getting ideas, I'm not a Jedi, but I can see it. You think you messed up, and one of these days you are going to something stupid because of it. And I'm not going to be around to stop you, thanks to you."

"I did ruin everything, and you paid more than enough because of it," he answered, glancing at her mechanic arm.

"It's not your fault," Selene answered, raising the limb made of metal. "I got careless, I lost the arm, end of story."

"The point is..." he answered, but Selene interrupted him.

"The point is that you are not getting out this ship without me on your side. I'm not going to lose you too. Got it?"

The seemingly froze between them. Jaris knew what she had to tell her – what she expected to tell her. After all, she was right, he was getting ideas. He wanted to escape from the burden, but he couldn't, because others would pay the price, if he would do so. Others like her or his daughter.

"Fine. Next time you come with me," he nodded.

Selene turned away, getting back to her cabin. He remembered the old times, the good times, when they were nor married nor among the most important persons in the galaxy. They had good times in the ship, and the best times came after the fights, when they both realized how much they needed each other.

But the good times have passed. The marriage got cold, and as the war was raging, things get worse by the day. Most of the time he would go after her, but now he had work to do. They had to get back to the fleet, and he had to think about how he is going to get those ships.

They reached the nebula within a few hours. Although the Reaver had advanced sensors, they couldn't see anything due to the background radiation. Only the Force could guide him forward, which was one of the reasons while he choose this location as a staging point. While his crew had several Force-sensitives, the enemy won't have any of them, which gave them a tremendous advantage over the aggressors.

Jaris heard footsteps as he watched the horizon. Selene approached him to check on the fleet, while dozens of ships appeared on the blue horizon. Small corvettes, freighters and an Acclamator-class assault ship appeared before him, and then a larger body emerged from the midst of the small starships.

It was the Traxan, their flagship.

The enormous battlecruiser proved to be heavier and more powerful than the rest of the fleet combined. The capital ship's long circular body was an alien, yet very clever design, with dozens of guns, torpedo bays and hangars on each side, and fitted with an extremely powerful main cannon on the front of the ship.

The Traxan was a force to be reckoned with, and while he had hundreds of these ships in the Unknown Regions, he only took the Traxan with him. It was strong enough to get them out of a risky situation, yet its absence was neglectable from home.

"We should hail them," Selene broke the silence.

"They knew we are here, I can feel it," he shook his head.

They remained silent for a few seconds, Selene stayed at his side and glanced at him.

"What did you tell Mara?" she asked as they approached the Traxan's enormous, grey hull.

"The usual," he answered. "I'm alone and I need help to stop an opposing empire."

"Why didn't you tell the truth? Maybe if they realized that you have your own nation and you are already fighting with the invaders with everything you got, they would be willing to cooperate."

"They would trust me even less," he answered, steering the ship toward the wide, blue force field protecting the hangar bay.

"You could send a fleet to Coruscant, and help the Republic beat the Empire," she suggested.

"I would represent an unknown force. Everyone is afraid of the unknown. They would be more likely to unite against us than fighting alongside us against the true enemy," he answered. Everything would change when the invasion arrives, but the enemy wouldn't dare to do unleash its wrath upon the galaxy when his forces were still fighting them. His own war against the invaders gave time to the galaxy, but it also meant that his forces will be nonexistent when the real invasion begins.

He put down the ship in the Traxan's rightmost hangar bay. It was filled with fighters and assault corvettes, all made by his nation, the proud Protectorate of Tria. The crew made a lot of space for their leader, and the welcoming brigade was already out there, consisting entirely of humans native to the Unknown Regions.

A dozen soldiers stood in line in grey uniforms, three knights of The Order stepped before them. As most Force-sensitives in the Protectorate, they wore golden robes made of fabric, and they were trained solely to fight and to obey. Jaris recognized Seia among the knights, being the High Priestess of The Order, there was no way she let him alone for long.

"Let's get back to it," Jaris sighed. The more time he spent as a leader, the more he grow to hate the thing. "You coming?" he turned to Selene.

"Of course," she nodded.

By the time they walked out the docking ramp, the Traxan's crew was ready to greet them. The soldiers and the knights knelt before him as one, even Seia stepped forward, and bent the knee before him. It felt good. He didn't want to be here, he didn't want to have anything to do with it, but he had to admit, it had its moments.

"You can stand," Jaris told them. The entirety of the hangar bay stood up within an instant. Seia looked him in the eye, showing her defiance within her gaze. He should have known their encounter won't go as easy as it seemed to go.

"The fleet is ready to go back, my grace," the priestess urged him. Her voice was calm, but her face was as demanding as ever.

"The fleet is going to Coruscant. I will meet an old benefactor," he answered, and began to march toward the bridge. Seia followed him immediately.

"What benefactor?" she asked.

Jaris shook his head.

It was so much simpler back then, when he accepted his position. The opulent planet of Tria needed a Prophet to guide them, and he needed to find his daughter who was lost in the Unknown Regions. He promised would guide the people of Tria toward peace and equality, and in return, he could use their vast resources to find her.

By the time he found Mira Wess, it was too late for him to leave. The true evil has awaken, and the largest war started that the Unknown Regions has ever seen. The people of the Protectorate were scared, they needed him more than ever. He was afraid to go away, he couldn't let fate decide the outcome of the war, thus it was too late to leave everything behind.

"What benefactor?" Seia repeated the question as they marched towards the bridge.

Jaris glanced at her in the narrow, well-guarded corridor.

"Admiral Ackbar. You don't know him, but I do more than most," he answered.

"No, I don't know him. But I know my people. We need to get back to them, and we need to do it right now," she told him.

"Don't worry, I left them in good hands."

"In good hands?" Seia snapped.

"Mira is the daughter of the High Prophet, she can take care of herself and our forces," he answered.

"Fenn," Selene interrupted them. "She is troubled these days."

"She's been through a lot, but she is strong and capable. She will make good work with the enemy while I'm gathering reinforcements."

"High Prophet, by all means, your daughter is neither strong, nor capable, nor a competent military leader," Seia shook her head.

Jaris took a deep breath, trying to let the insult go.

"Then you better hope our next run is successful," he glared at the Knight with fire in his eyes.

"Yes, my prophet," Seia nodded, quickly looking down, before she would step through the line.

They could criticize him or her all they wanted, it didn't matter. He had control of their forces in here, while Mira was waging the war as the Supreme Leader of the Protectorate Armada, making sure that the enemy will be at its weakest by the time they get back.

When he reached the bridge, the guards let him in at once. The Traxan's wide, but short command center was part of a well-built fortress at the heart of the battlecruiser. No ship, no laser nor torpedo could reach them in here, which was a good thing in terms of safety. However, in terms of battle awareness, it posed a challenge.

The place had no windows in front of those who worked all day long at their terminals. They didn't need them, but as their commander, Jaris needed to see in the battlefield. For this purpose, the ship transmitted all collected data to the bridge, and projected it on the wall. Problem is, the ship's sensors were useless in this corner of the galaxy, and thus all he could see was the camera footage of the nebula and the mere shadows of the ships surrounding him.

"We are leaving the nebula. Set a course to Coruscant! When we reach the outskirts of the system, I will go off with the Reaver," he ordered.

He used the Force to search for other ships, so he could make sure they didn't hit anything on their way. The other ships had Knights to do job, which gave of them a good chance of leaving the nebula in one piece.

The blue nebula slowly faded into the blackness of space. Jaris looked at Selene, the twi'lek was looking at him, and then she turned away. He hurt her, he always did, when they talked about his ventures. In the old days, it seemed they would get along well – as partners in arms, who were against the Empire and all who helped them. But now it all fell apart.

He felt something. Looking at the projection on the wall, he saw a Star Destroyer jumping out of hyperspace in front of his fleet. Another one jumped in, then another, then a dozen more. By this time, the Traxan's sensors were fully operational, indicating fifteen Star Destroyers approaching them and an endless wave of TIE fighters leaving their hangar bays.

"Alien fleet on intercept course! They are preparing to fire!" Seia turned towards him.

He didn't answer.

"Fenn!" Selene raised her voice. "What do we do?"

He hurt them, and they doubted and questioned him in return. But now everything was clear once more. They were in danger, and he was their commander. He looked at the hostile fleet, seeing all the Star Destroyers and the hundreds of fighters gliding towards them. And in that moment, he knew precisely what to do.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!_

 _Don't forget to leave some feedback ;)_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II:**  
Deception

Mira Wess spent most of her time in her cabin ever since she assumed command of the Protectorate Armada. She had to figure out how to lead a war without knowing what she was up against, and that had to change. Tria Command sent her all available data on their enemy, the Seka Emporium. Their empire consisted of thirty billion blue, rigid religious fanatics who would all die in the name of an eternal being whom they never seen nor interacted with. They were furious in combat, they used advanced technology and they knew how to fight. However, despite knowing all this, she felt like the enemy was a complete mystery for her.

In the old days, Grand Admiral Thrawn almost crushed the Rebellion, because he knew the rebels better than they knew themselves. He almost got Mira killed time and time again despite the fact that they never seen each other. If she could be as clever as Thrawn was, this war would be over within a month.

Fueled by determination, Mira surrounded her cabin with Seka artifacts: ancient paintings, musical instruments and sacred weapons that were forged hundreds of years ago. Even though they seemed incredibly diverse, the mark of the eternal being, known as the Mentor, could be found on every one of them. No Seka created anything without thinking about him. No Seka acted without him. They were fierce, advanced and incredibly intelligent, but they couldn't imagine their existence without the consent of their devilish creator. That was their weakness.

But what did that mean? She had no idea. She wasn't like Thrawn, she couldn't know everything about a civilization by simply looking at their paintings. The Force was her only advantage over him, and she intended to use it.

Mira sat down on the blue carpet on the floor, with the bed and a painting on her side. She tried to meditate, but the moment she closed her eyes, horrifying pictures started to torment her mind. She has seen the death of Fenn, the destruction of Tria, the end of the galaxy as it was known – and at the end, she has seen her own demise as well.

The shock took her out of the thought-process.

"You are pathetic, you know that, right?" A familiar voice asked from behind. It belonged to Noeya Adane.

Mira didn't look back.

"You are not here," she answered with closed eyes.

"And what if I am? Maybe I'm just about cut that leg of yours," Noeya laughed.

Mira turned towards the Sith, the slender women stood behind her, wearing black clothes made of fabric. She looked at lightsaber at her side, then she gazed at her crossed arms in front of her chest. Noeya's long, red hair was loose, her green eyes were filled with hate and disappointment.

"She is blind," Mira stated, showing no emotion. Her long lost friend wasn't here, it was just a projection of her disintegrating mind.

Noeya she walked in front of her, looking down on her right leg.

"Does it hurt?" The illusion asked with joyful smile on her face.

Mira didn't react.

"I heard it was cut off almost entirely. But you chose to keep it, despite the fact that the implants tormented you day by day."

"The implants are gone. It has healed," she answered.

"And yet, it still hurts like hell. Every step, every little movement with your toes. Why don't you get rid of it already?" Noeya asked.

She started to make her angry.

"Why are you here?" she glared at the Sith.

"Because you are hopeless," Noeya explained. "You are a small, annoying little girl who happened to be the Supreme Commander of the entire Protectorate Armada. To make it even better, your father is away without any means of helping you, and your best friend joined the Mentor. Who of course, happens to be me."

Mira didn't answer. She sat there in silence, trying to figure out a way to get rid of the impostor.

"What do you think I'm doing now? Kneeling by his feet? Learning from him, how to kill you, how to kill your friends, how to destroy the entirety of the Protectorate?" Noeya asked while she was walking towards a painting. It resembled the first siege of Zatan two millennia ago. "And what are you doing here? Looking at pictures? Trying to be a military genius while you couldn't even figure out that your best friend was about to betray you? Pathetic."

"Spit it out already," she started to have enough of it.

"I'm here because your deranged little mind is unable to find a way out of this situation. So I will guide you forward, and who knows, maybe someone will survive this mess," she explained.

"Yeah, you are doing an excellent job at guiding me," Mira sighed.

"You think the Emporium will be gentle when they massacre the people on Tria? You think maybe the real Noeya will be humane when she cuts out your guts and makes you swallow them? Or you think the Mentor will be generous when he tears Coruscant into tiny pieces and uses the shards to kill everyone in the known universe?" Noeya started to walk up and down in the room. "It's time to wake up, you useless brat, you are leading a war, and the fate of the entire galaxy is at stake."

"Don't you think I know that?" Mira asked, as she stood up from the floor. Her leg hurt like hell, but she was used to it by now.

Noeya stopped in front of her.

"Good, now I have your attention," she leaned close to her. "The first thing is to figure out where the hell those two went."

"You mean the Mentor?" she asked.

"The Mentor and Harmony. You know, the other mass murderer who supposed to be on the good side. Whom you wanted to sacrifice yourself, but she rejected you because she knew that you are a not a real Jedi, just some little pretender."

Mira was furious by now, but she made no indication of it.

"Right, where do we find them? They are supposed to be planet killers, but right now there is not a soul who could see them," she explained. It felt good to share her concerns, even though the walls were the only real listeners.

"Good, now you realized that we can't find them because, very simply, they are not doing anything at the moment. What does that mean? Come on think, I know that you are capable of it, at least at some level."

"They are hiding," Mira guessed. "Maybe they are too weak at the moment? No... That doesn't make any sense. They are preparing for something. But what?"

"Maybe they are sipping wine on Naboo, maybe they are chatting up a bit before killing each other and half of the Known Universe. Who knows? What matters is that they are nowhere to be found. Right now only their puppets fight, such as you, the Protectorate and the Emporium. The ones that don't matter. For a Supreme Leader, this is an incredibly fruitful position. Not for you, but you know, for someone who actually knows what to do," Noeya stopped again in front of her.

Mira looked deep in her eyes.

"You want me to play it out. Use the little time we have to completely crush the Seka Emporium," she figured.

"If you do so, you will have an entire state that can dedicate itself to the fight against the Mentor. Harmony is supposedly with us, so we can't hurt her. But maybe we don't have to. If we could throw at the Mentor everything we've got, maybe we could beat him. His battle with Harmony would be over before it began. There would be no destroyed planets, you live, your father lives, and everyone will be happy," Noeya explained.

"Assuming we can beat them in time," Mira added.

The Sith rolled her eyes.

"You want to play it safe, don't you?"

"Father said I have to hold the line. That's what I'm trying to do here."

"Trying?" Noeya laughed in her face.

She had a point. Right now Tria Command wanted nothing else than the complete and utter destruction of the Seka Emporium. With equal numbers on both sides, Mira couldn't hope for a successful all-out assault, but she knew very well that defying the entire Command would be a bad call. Therefore she allowed them to strike at the first set of targets, while the bulk of the Protectorate Armada was waiting for the second set of targets that she had no intention of providing them.

While the fleets were waiting, Mira ordered back the 16th Fleet, her personal armada, well within their borders. This way they were still on the offensive, but they had some hopes of defending against a counterattack. As of now the situation was acceptable, but it was only a question of time until Tria Command gets tired of waiting.

"You can't hold them back forever," Noeya explained. "If I were you, and I am you, I would throw everything I've got at them before it's not too late."

"Father will come back with reinforcements. With a fleet large enough, we could easily shatter them. There is no need to rush," she answered.

"And what if it's too late?"

Someone knocked on the door, interrupting their conversation. Noeya faded into nothing, while Mira used to Force to figure out who disturbed her. It was Jiu Lei, the strongest and most determined Knight to be alive today. The tall, grey-bearded man wouldn't get here without a good reason, and she knew that.

"Coming," she said, and checked herself in the mirror. Her old, brown shirt and pants fit her perfectly, making her a lot more comfortable than the white uniform would have. Most women in the fleet put their hair into a ponytail, but it was a nightmare for her to do so. She let her long, brown her down, reaching the middle of her back. Red lines surrounded her green iris, but right now she couldn't do much about it. Being as exhausted as she was, it seemed like a wonder that she was able to do her duties at all.

She grabbed her lightsaber, and opened the door, keeping her weapon firmly at her hand. The well-built Knight saluted her by knocking his fist on his chest.

"I'm afraid I have troubling news, my lady," Lei explained.

"What happened?" Mira asked.

"We've lost all outgoing communication from Tria. We are afraid of the worst. I called a meeting together with Admiral Rau and the captains, but we can't make a decision without your consent, my lady."

"Then we have to hurry," Mira said as she rushed out of her cabin.

She walked the long, grey corridors gripping her lightsaber, taking deep breaths from the reciprocated air. Most Jedi kept their weapons hidden or at their side, but the Knights didn't know that. Mira could walk anywhere with it without anyone batting an eye on her. And she needed that.

Only a few women served on the Fleet, most of them were cleaning the toilets, the others were whores who wished to entertain the crew for the right price. Most men almost laughed at Mira when they saw her with the badge of the Supreme Commander on her firm breast. They looked at her like a plaything, a toy that could be accessed and used for the right money. But no one laughed when they saw the lightsaber. Female Knights were rare, but fierce when faced with oppression. A female Knight as a Supreme Commander was not just a plaything, but a powerful individual who was ready to demonstrate her power if it needed be.

Thanks to her saber, Mira could walk to the meeting with confidence and respect, two key factors in making people follow her orders. By the time she walked in the room with Jiu Lei, the old Rau and the four captains were already around the holo-table. They saluted her, and got back to the matter at hand.

The table showed the frontline in the Unknown Regions. The Protectorate and the Seka sectors were similar in size, as both parties had the same amount of manpower of resources to build and maintain their war machine. At the moment the table was around to turn. Green arrows indicated the few systems the Protectorate Armada attacked, and a large, red arrow indicated the invasion of their home planet. If they lost it, the enemy could gain the advantage necessary to crush them.

Mira stepped to the table, and slapped her lightsaber to its surface. It made an impression; she has seen it on their faces.

"Are we sure in what happened?" she asked.

"The last report was twenty-two hours ago, my lady. They should have checked in multiple times already," Admiral Rau explained. The average built man was the original commander of the 16th Fleet, although he couldn't command anything until Mira and Jiu Lei were on the ship.

"Then we are sure," Mira nodded. "How many ships they need to take it?"

"At least fifteen percent of their Navy," Admiral Rau stated. "They might have brought twenty to make sure of their victory."

"So it's twenty..." she knotted her hair, and looked over the front line. "What's the progress of our assault over the three marked targets?" she turned towards the captain.

"We are facing fierce resistance, my lady," Captain Egon explained, the Commander of the ship they stood in. "But we are advancing."

"That's a shame," Mira answered, and looked back at the map.

"My lady?" Admiral Rau asked. He wasn't the only one who was shocked by her words.

"Twenty percent is here," she pointed at Tria. "And at least another thirty percent is here. That's the only way they could halt us, but not beat us. This means they have half of their forces in battle, while we only committed twenty percent of ours. Gentleman, it is time to take the initiative," she explained.

"They wouldn't attack Tria, if they were not ready for a counter attack," Admiral Rau shook his head, alongside with the rest of them.

"They aren't," Mira stated. "They are religious zealots, unable to act without the consent of their master. A master who is awake, yet nowhere to be found. They fight for the sake of death, to amuse him with the blood littering the streets of Tria. Our blood, and their blood. When they attacked, they didn't plan for tomorrow. None of them did. If we launch a full-scale assault now, they would be hopeless to stop it.

"What about Tria, my lady?" Admiral Rau asked.

"We are the closest one to it, we shall be the ones defending it."

"The 16th Fleet is too small to win such a battle. We would be outnumbered four to one!"

"Do you ever think about how much they want to fuck the shit out of you?" Noeya asked beside her. Mira glanced at her angrily. "I'm serious. You are thin with big breasts and a nice ass. You are the best looking one on this ship, and I bet the only one they actually had a conversation with. It must be strange to them, hearing a talking toy. I bet they just want you to lie on the table so they could take their turns on you."

Mira chose to ignore the product of her imagination. She swallowed her anger, and looked back at Admiral Rau.

"They are jamming all communications, thus they are just as isolated as the capital. They won't know that we are on the offensive, and they will be surprised how quickly the reinforcement came. Their commander will expect additional forces joining the fight, and she will withdraw as soon as she is able to do so," Mira explained.

"She?" Captain Egon frowned.

"I know who is the one leading them," Mira nodded.

"And who might that be?" Noeya asked, standing between her and Egon.

"You are the one behind it," Mira glared at her. There was no better explanation. The Seka Emporium was scared, they wanted to do something to earn the Mentor's trust, thus they gave a fleet to her apprentice, so she could wreak havoc on the planet.

Not seeing Noeya, the others thought she was referring at Egon. The guards knocked him down the table within an instant, Lei activated his lightsaber, holding the yellow blade in front of the captain's face.

"He is with us, idiots," Mira told them, and Egon was immediately released. "This was a test of command," she explained as she turned around.

She started to walk towards the exit, only to stop in front of the door.

"I want the assault to begin at once, the 16th Fleet shall reach Tria within six hours. Expect a heavy fight," she stated, then she left the room.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III:**  
Siege

Everybody forgot about Carlos. Ten years passed since the middle-aged man betrayed his fellow stormtroopers, and now he found himself in a diner, seated on the remote planet of Tria.

They served great meals in the place, although they often served them late. By now, Carlos was waiting for an hour for his lunch. He glanced at the hostess, the incredibly good-looking woman was talking with group of guests near him, then she went to another table, pretending not to notice his signs. The man wasn't surprised by that, they always served the good-looking ones first. The ones he was no match to, thanks to his ugly face, his messy, brown hair, his beard and the well-built body that hadn't seen water in two weeks.

Back on Coruscant the situation wasn't that different either. Those times made him realize that only one women existed in this world who was worth catching. A woman who rejected him over and over again, slowly getting fed up with him for the remainder of her life.

Finally, the food has arrived.

"Thank you, Atena," Carlos said, as the hostess put his food on the table. The well prepared trian steak seemed as delicious as ever. It was the kind of food that could feed an average man for a day.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, her blue eyes were filled with terror.

"The Protectorate database. They have a file on everyone these days," he answered. The woman stepped back from him, knowing that no one had access to those files. "You are surprised that I have access, don't you? Of course you are, no one knows who I am anymore."

"I will call the police!" the hostess cried out.

"Don't bother, they won't come. My name is Carlos Dahn, I served ten years with your prophet, Jaris Fenn. I am the godfather of your supreme leader, Mira Wess, and I happen to be the number one associate of the infamous Leana Ventris, who rules the entire Trian Business Sector."

Atena wasn't just scared anymore, she also seemed confused.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Excellent question, my dear. Now I seem to be a really important person, but when shit hit the fan, somehow everyone had better things to do. Fenn went off to get a fleet, Mira got busy with commanding. One of the Venn's died, the other disappeared. Some messy things happened to those. Then Leana decided to get my ass out of her mansion," he pointed towards a large, grey balcony on the side of the skyscraper. "So now I'm here, observing her. And I came to a conclusion.

"A conclusion?" Atena asked, shaking with terror.

"I'm not important, I just happen to be around all the great people and all the important situations. They know that. They want to get rid of me, but that is not gonna happen. I'm not going to let that happen," he answered, and took a bite from the stake. "Oh, and have a nice day!"

Atena slowly backed away from him, while Carlos continued to enjoy the steak – alongside with the view from the window. Leana seated her mansion in a tall, robust skyscraper next to the diner. She was satisfied with the height, but she was unable to live in a place that neglected its own landing pad. Thus her floor was extended with a large balcony suitable for shuttles and small aircraft.

Although it sounded to be an extreme idea at first, it had its uses. Leana never had to use the elevators for a shopping trip, and Carlos never had to guess which floor to watch in order to feel close to her. Even the knights were relieved by it, since the giant terrace shortened their frequent visits to the head of the Business Sector – the Knight Temple's large pyramid were only a mile away from the skyscraper, hence it took little time to fly there.

As Carlos continued to muse in front of his table, an explosion shook the building, tearing a piece out of another skyscraper nearby. It seemed like the mark of a small bomb, but it didn't fool him. He knew war.

Even so, he was shocked by the sight of an alien armada shooting down from the sky. The large, dark ships pointed their enormous cannons towards the surface, bombing it with all their mighty firepower. It was the Seka Armada, they came to Tria to bring a bloody end to their war.

Blue laser bolts erupted among the buildings, heading towards the robust starships, splattering on their green shields. The defense grid was activated, as it should have been, but the defense cannons lacked the firepower to stop this kind of ordeal. The seka ships adjusted their targets on the surface, obliterating the cannons with one well-placed salvo. The explosions shook the ground as an earthquake.

The floor ceased to shake after a few seconds. Carlos tucked the rest of the food in his bag, and stood up from the table.

"Here I go again," he said, looking at Atena's frightened eyes. "Saving the day, killing some aliens. Just like old times."

He rushed out of the building, pushing away the terrified people in front of him on the way to his personal speeder. The speeder was resting on a landing pad seated on landing pad near the diner. He quickly got into the cockpit, and ignited the engines, taking off from there as fast as possible.

By this time the enemy ships were done with defense grid, unleashing their wrath on the surface. Hundreds of fighters flew out from their wide hangar bays, escorting the largest and most elegant troop transports he'd ever seen. Some trian fighters tried to stop them, but they were quickly annihilated by the vicious cloud of seka interceptors.

Carlos never knew those pilots, yet he felt sorry for them. The best those poor bastards could achieve was buying a millisecond for the defenders – whom never had a chance to withstand the siege to begin with. Carlos witnessed many of these situations before; they were the main reason why he left the empire, and decided to join Fenn instead.

He turned his speeder towards Leana's mansion, hoping that it didn't swarm already with enemy invaders. But they were already there. Two long, well-armored troop transports landed on the balcony, their docking ramps were down, only a few aliens guarded them. The others must have been in the building by now.

Approaching the balcony wasn't a problem, getting down there in one piece proved to be more than that. As he flew close to the terrace, Carlos took four thermal detonators out of his bag, waiting for the right moment. Finally he got close enough. The ex-stormtrooper dropped the thermal detonators right in front of the troop transports. Four soldiers opened fire at him as his speeder flied off to the distance, but the thermal detonators interrupted them before they could hit him, tearing the balcony apart in a vicious ball of fire.

The soldiers died within an instant, one of the troop transports was completely obliterated, the other got pushed off the balcony, falling towards the surface. He turned around with his speeder, and quickly put it down on the balcony's molten floor. The vehicle's thick metal could withstand the heat radiating from the metal, but his feet wasn't as suitable for this purpose. He made a long jump from the speeder, secretly praying it would be far enough.

It was, yet the extremely hot metal made him run into the building at once. He reached the mansion's interior, the white, stylish living room was filled with black blast holes and dead bodies. Most of them belonged to the enemy, the others proved to be Leana's body guards, dressed in black, gripping the most advanced blasters in their hands that was made by man.

Carlos heard blaster fire, it came from Leana's personal chamber. He pulled out his blaster and grabbed a thermal detonator in his other hand, starting to rush there as quickly as possible. He strode through the living room, reaching the second section of the house with heavy breaths.

Two seka soldiers stood in place, the large, mon calamari-like aliens gazed at him with anger, getting ready to fire their weapons. Carlos shot, but missed his target. He ducked behind cover, and his enemies began to siege his position, shooting deadly plasma bolts at the wall.

The blaster couldn't save him within these conditions, thus he decided to throw the detonator. The hellish device dropped on the floor like a stone, ripping the whole room apart in a loud explosion. No one could have survived that blast, he knew that very well.

He rushed through the room, stepping over the bodies, and finally reached the swimming pool. The firefight was over by now. Leana stood in front of four enemy soldiers, wearing only a dark-blue bikini on her beautiful skin. The guards lay dead on the floor, leaving her completely to the enemy's whim. The only reasonable option was to drop her guns, silently hoping that they wouldn't kill her.

As the guns dropped on the floor with a loud thud, Carlos stepped into action. The guards turned around, and the ex-stormtrooper realized he couldn't beat them without another detonator. He rushed for cover in the haze of enemy fire, shooting back numerous times, yet missing on every occasion.

He managed to duck behind a couch, yet his hopes were slim for surviving this encounter. Luckily Leana had an idea. The thin, raven haired woman grabbed her blasters from the floor, and immediately shot the two soldiers closest to her. The bodies dropped on the floor soon afterwards, making the rest of the aliens turn back to Leana. By that time she was ready to fire, shooting both of them in the face at once.

Carlos sighed with relief.

"You are one tough girl to save, Leana. You know that?" he asked, getting up from behind the couch.

"Save me? You would be dead if not for me," she snapped, crossing eyes with him. Her blue eyes were beautiful and noble as ever. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"You were lucky. I was just around the corner when..."

"You were stalking me," Leana stated.

"No, I would never do such a thing. I was observing you at the best, for your own safety," he explained. The smell of delicious food pinched his nose, then he realized, the rest of the stake was still in the bag.

They heard another troop transport landing on the half-torn balcony. The rapid footsteps were paired with the hissing sound of lightsabers. The knights had better things to do then rescuing them, thus only one explanation remained behind the sounds. They were to face Justicars, the fiercest warriors of the Seka Emporium.

"Great, now they are bringing their best," Leana sighed. "Any chance Mira shows up to save the day?"

"Not much," Carlos shook his head. "What about the Shadow Queen?" he asked about her personal starship. It was fast enough to get them out of this hellhole.

"Five minutes away," she answered.

"We don't have five minutes," he shook his head.

"I know," Leana admitted.

"Guess we are gonna die together then," Carlos said, glancing at the front door. The Justicars were closing in fast, determined to kill every living being in the building.

"I guess we do," Leana answered, her face became pale from the realization. She was scared, just as scared as Carlos was. But at least they got their final moment together, and that gave them strength to continue.

"Let's give them one hell of a fight."

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV:**  
Hope

The Traxan was surrounded by fifteen Star Destroyers. Jaris hoped that the enemy didn't come here to fight. Maybe they just wanted to intimidate them before they would make contact. Guided by this thought, he ordered to halt fire as long as possible.

And he was right.

"They are hailing us," Seia reported.

"Let's hear it," he nodded.

A tall, well-built man appeared on the wall. His red and blue badge marked the rank of an admiral. Jaris wouldn't expect less to oppose him.

"This is Admiral Dexter Dahn to the alien warship. We come in peace, but we are not afraid to fight for the freedom of the stars," the man stated. His name sounded familiar from somewhere, but he wasn't sure why.

"This is Supreme Leader Jaris Fenn, commander of the Protectorate of Tria. Our intentions are the same, and our goals might be similar," he answered.

"Our goal is to protect the sovereignty of our civilization by any means necessary. By our information, you seek the same from another empire. They call themselves the Seka Emporium, if I'm correct," Admiral Dahn answered.

Jaris was surprised to hear that name. Precious few people made it back from the Unknown Regions to the rest of the galaxy. He knew only one person who managed to flee from there in recent memory, and that was Jedi Knight Rya Venn.

"The Seka threatens both of our empires. If we want to survive the invasion, cooperation may be the best way to go," he explained.

"Indeed," Admiral Dahn nodded. "I suggest we begin negotiations immediately. My flagship should be ideal for that, since we have a common associate on board, who happened to help both of us a great deal."

Jaris had a strong guess about who that person could be, but at this point there was no way to know for sure. If the Empire were to become an enemy, the informant could lead them right in their doorstep, endangering everything he fought for. He couldn't risk that. He had to go there, and see this person with his own eyes.

"Very well, I will come on board your flagship," he nodded.

"Alone," Admiral Dahn stated.

Jaris looked back to his wife, Selene nodded.

"Of course."

His heart pounded in his chest as the shuttle docked in the Star Destroyer's hangar bay. His men escorted him to the docking ramp, from there he continued his road alone. A dozen stormtroopers awaited him on the other side, Admiral Dahn stood in front of them, greeting the Supreme Leader.

"Welcome aboard the Decimator," he said, as they shook hands.

"The pleasure is mine," he answered, sweeping his surroundings with the Force. He didn't sense any traps or hidden troops. So far everything went according to plan.

"So, how's the famous ex-jedi doing these days?" Admiral Dahn asked.

"You heard about me?" Jaris frowned.

"My brother told me a great deal about you, that's the reason Grand Admiral Thrawn tasked me to lead this mission," he explained.

Carlos, his friend. He forgot about him. How was that possible?

"I'm doing just fine, thank you," Jaris nodded, as they started to walk towards the turbolift at the end of the hangar bay.

"I'm delighted to hear it," Admiral Dahn nodded. "It's a luxury to die well in these dark times. People have to make difficult choices in order to hold close to what's dear for them. Looks like you are the kind of man who can make those decisions."

"Sadly, I have to be," he answered, as they stepped into the elevator. Only two guards could go with them.

The door closed with a hissing sound. Finally they were on their way up, heading for the closest prison cells. That's where they kept their _associate_.

"So, how about we stop wasting each other's time, and cut to the proposal?" Jaris asked.

"If you want our support, you have to lay siege on Coruscant."

"Out of the question," he shook his head.

The elevator stopped, they continued their way to the cell blocks.

"Think about it a little, Supreme Leader," Admiral Dahn continued. "Nobody will support your cause while the war rages on. The Republic already told you no, only the Empire remains."

"After we won your war," he pointed.

"I'm afraid, at this point, the war cannot be won. All we can do is to halt our inevitable defeat in hope of a peace treaty which the Republic will never give us. They know they can crush us, and they will do just that," he continued. "Unless an unknown force attacks them with seemingly endless capacity of destruction. They would be scared beyond measure, and ready to sign a peace treaty that ensures both of our survival."

"No one will help us if we arrive as invaders," Jaris added.

They reached the first cell blocks, they stood empty.

"Not officially. But after the peace treaty, the Empire might lose a few ships in unknown circumstances. Battlecruisers, Star Destroyers, and who knows, we might even be willing to lose our last Super Star Destroyer," Admiral Dahn continued.

"Why would you want to stop them?" he asked. As far as he knew, they only had the word of one associate who _somehow_ ventured home from the Unknowns Regions. This was hardly enough reason behind their commitment.

"Because we know what are they capable of," he answered. "In his early years, Grand Admiral Thrawn was tasked with securing the Unknown Regions, which was ceased due to the impossibility to reach the depths of this wild space."

"No star routes, no invasions," he added.

"Quite the opposite. Thrawn found a way to reach the heart of the Unknown Regions. When our scouts returned, they reported no resistance. Thrawn knew it was a trap, he ordered all of his forces, thirty dark-blue Star Destroyers to attack and eliminate the foe on the other side," he explained. "They were waiting for him in numbers, as expected. The two forces were evenly matched in terms of capital ships and fighters, yet ten minutes after the battle commenced, only the Chimaera could escape the battlefield. The rest were annihilated."

"I see," he nodded, remembering back to Vexer station, and the cloud of dead Star Destroyers orbiting it. Now he knew how they got there.

"If that force comes here, there will be no Empire, nor Republic. Only remnants that are left behind an invasion force more advanced and more numerous than anyone could have imagined," Admiral Dahn continued. "It is needless to say that, as the current leader of the Empire, Grand Admiral Thrawn is willing to go into great lengths in order to save our galaxy from such a foe."

"Your galaxy?" he asked. He though they could change, but he was wrong.

"We will turn this around, you will see." The answer came. "But first things first, we have a piece treaty to gain, and a rival to destroy."

Admiral Dahn stopped in front of an interrogation chamber.

"Before you make your decision, I would like to meet our common associate," he said, as he opened the door.

Jaris froze when he saw the woman handcuffed to the grey table in the middle of the room: it was Rya Venn. The thirty years old, green twi'lek sat there in silence. She glanced at him, her eyes were empty, like she never lived a day.

"Rya?" he asked, still shocked from what he witnessed. The Jedi Knight's abilities rivaled his own. She could easily break out of her cell, and kill everyone standing between her and the hangar bay. But she didn't, in fact, she choose to tell them everything she knew about the Seka Emporium.

The twi'lek didn't answer. She sat there, empty, silent.

"The traitor stole a ship from your crew, and she willingly told us how to find you and your empire," Admiral Dahn explained. "I want you to know that she will be executed for her sins."

"That's very generous of you," he nodded. "But she stole from me, thus the right of judgement is mine. Not to mention how she is dangerous is."

"She is quite secure in here, I can assure that," Admiral Dahn answered. "I believe..."

Jaris interrupted him.

"Thank you for your offer, I will discuss it in detail with my commanders. As the sign of good will, I shall take Rya Venn with me to my flagship, where she will be properly punished for her sins."

Admiral Dahn glanced at the lightsaber on his side, then he looked him in the eye.

"Very well. Guards, escort them back to their shuttle!"

Rya walked beside him quietly as they reached the shuttle, said goodbye to Admiral Dahn, and boarded their vessel. Jaris released her from the handcuffs, she didn't thank him. Instead, she sat down on the passenger seat, staring at the wall in silence.

As they took off, Jaris sat beside her.

"What were you thinking?" he asked with fury in his eyes.

"I miss her," she answered. A lone tear glided down her cheek.

"It's not your fault. Sigil killed Ann, and I made him pay for what he did. What he was about to do," he sighed. "You can't punish yourself over it. You almost died."

"I know, Jaris. That's why I'm here."

* * *

The 16th Fleet arrived above the sieged planet of Tria, ready to drive back the invaders. Mira stood at Atega's wide command deck, gripping her lightsaber in her hand. The enemy fleet ravaged the planet's surface, unleashing deadly plasma bolts on its lush cities. Five Seka capital ships left orbit in order to halt her forces as long as they could.

As long as it was needed.

"Fire the main guns," Mira ordered.

The Atega fired its main gun battery alongside with twelve main battle cruisers. The long, blue line of lasers carved through the green shields of the enemy, obliterating their dark, thick hull. Three out of five targets were destroyed, the rest tried to flee, steering their damaged hulls away from the 16th Fleet. They did that in vain.

"All approaching targets are done for, my lady," Admiral Rau reported. "We are heavily outnumbered, but this gives us the initiative. We could try to save the population, or..."

"We save them by winning the battle," Mira interrupted him. "Set a curse to the Capital District. We carve a path through remaining ships, and send troops to all key targets, including the Knight Temple.

"Yes, my lady," Egon nodded.

"Prepare my shuttle for close quarters fights. I'm heading down to the surface."

"But... if the enemy refuses to retreat, there is no way we could rescue you in time," Admiral Rau protested.

"If they stay, we stay. In that case, I prefer to die fighting with my lightsaber," she answered.

"You are going to the temple, I presume?" Admiral Rau asked.

"I'm going to save my friends. Mark the mansion of Leana Ventress on the map, it shall not be harmed," she answered.

"Yes, my lady," the admiral nodded.

"How profound of you," Noeya Adane smiled beside her. "Choosing your friends over a hundred knights on the temple. And you are wondering why you are not a proper jedi?"

"I have to get there in time," Mira answered, seemingly talking to the wall.

"And why is that?" she asked.

"Because that's where I will find you."

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V:**  
Rescue

Mira stood bravely on the transport ship's cold floor. The young Jedi kept her gaze on the window, watching the devastating battle unfolding before her. Dark and gray fighters chased each other between the Capital District's burnt skyscrapers, while troopers faced each other by the thousands at the bottom of the surface. It didn't matter how fast they had arrived to aid the planet, it was impossible to undo the destruction.

She took a deep breath, as they took a turn towards Leana's mansion, remembering that this was the best outcome of a terrible situation. The large, gray balcony got bigger by the second, and a small, yellow dot emerged from it, heading towards their craft.

"Rocket!" the pilot yelled as he pulled up the transport. Mira managed to grab the handhold before she would fall, but the soldiers around her weren't so lucky. The rocket swept through the air near the ship with a hissing sound, only missing them by a few inches.

"We can't get any closer," the pilot turned towards her.

"We don't have to. Pull up the ship, and open the side door. I will land on my feet," Mira answered. The pilot looked at her with wide eyes, as if he couldn't hear what she said. "I will make a jump for it," she added.

"Yes, ma'am," the pilot complied.

The transport flew above the mansion in the midst of the fiery battle. As the aircraft's door swept to the side in front of her, she felt cold the wind on her face, and heard the struggling soldiers behind her who tried to remain on the ship.

She was getting ready to jump, then she heard a familiar voice.

"So you decided to die. What a beautiful twist," Noeya smiled next to her.

She shook her head, and jumped out of the moving transport.

Mira concentrated on the Force, guiding herself towards the balcony's cold floor. She tried to cancel out the sweeping sounds of the fighters above her, the loud cracks of the plasma bolts fired beneath her, and the constant smell of molten metal all around her.

Fenn showed her this technique when she was a child. By using it, she could land in anywhere from any height. It worked well even in the most dangerous circumstances, however, her master never anticipated that someone would fire a rocket at her while she was falling hundreds of meters towards a small balcony.

She had to improvise. Using the wall of the damaged skyscraper, she pushed herself out of the rocket's way, and as the large, hot warhead swept by her, she positioned her body over the shooters' position. The Seka loaded another rocket, getting ready to end the Supreme Leader's life.

But she didn't give him a chance to shoot. Falling towards the molten surface, she tore the rocket launcher out of his hand with the Force. The Seka jumped after it a moment later, but it was too late. Mira landed in front of him, igniting her lightsaber, and cutting her foe in half with a sudden blow.

The body landed on the floor in two separate pieces. Mira took a deep breath, but the Force warned her already about the coming attack. She quickly turned around, seeing a seven feet tall, muscular Seka on the other side of the balcony. The alien held a large, double bladed lightsaber in his hand, igniting its yellow blade with a crude push on its surface.

"You don't pass," the Seka stated in his crude accent.

Mira changed her grip on the lightsaber, holding it behind her back. She looked her foe in the eye, then started run towards him. The Justicar stood his ground, getting ready to slice her into two with a hard blow aimed at her shoulder.

But she was smarter than that.

She anticipated the attack, twisting her body from its way, then jumping in the air, getting to the other side of the aggressor. By the time the Justicar reacted, she run the brilliant blade of her lightsaber through his neck. The foes' head dropped to the ground, then the rest of his body followed.

"Won't," she said, then continued her way towards the mansion's interior.

She knew Leana well enough, she wouldn't dare to hide in the inner chamber, that would have been too obvious. Another, randomly chosen spot would be better, however she couldn't figure out the exact location. She felt at least six Justicars' presence around her in the force. They had to be eliminated before they could find her friend.

Two aliens stood in the next room ahead her, while the others were waiting near the swimming pool. They killed someone, it could have been Leana or just a mere guard, she wasn't sure.

She felt something strange, as she was going towards the next room. The two Justicars ran out of the place, and regrouped with their friends near the swimming pool. This meant they were getting ready for a challenge.

"Sure you can take them on, little doll?" Noeya asked jokingly.

"Don't call me like that," Mira shrugged.

"Then go ahead, prove your value."

She took a deep breath, as she went through the small room. The Justicars will fight to the death, trying everything in their power to kill her. Their force abilities were weaker than a proper Jedi's, but they evened the odds with superior numbers.

She stepped out of the door, gazing over her surroundings. The Justicars stood around her in a circle. They were waiting for her, that was obvious, even before she stepped through the door. The six large men ignited their lightsabers, five of them used one blade, but the sixth one held two on his blue hands. He was different from the others; taller, more muscular, and he wore black a robe instead of the usual gray one.

"Any last words?" the black one asked.

"Die," Mira answered, as she jumped towards the closest Justicar.

The alien tried to defend his shoulder from the sudden blow, but that never came, since she swept to the side and cut deep in the aliens' flesh. Her foe collapsed screaming on the floor, while the others attacked her from multiple directions.

One blade headed towards her side, the other glided towards her chest. There was no way she could defend against both, and she knew that very well. The Justicars struck at her as one, but by the time the lightsabers would reach her, Mira jumped up from the ground, landing several feet away from them.

As soon as she landed, the black one extended her arm, pushing her away with the Force. She was ready to counter it, but it came way stronger then she anticipated it. The sudden blow pushed her to the gray, thick wall of the room, causing terrible pain to her back.

Despite the agony, she managed to stand up from the ground. The black one was stronger than the others, thus he had to be dealt with at all cost. But how could she take him out before the others would cut her into pieces?

"Want some glass?" Noeya asked, slicing through her veins with a sharp piece of thick, transparent metal.

At first, Mira tried not to pay attention, but the red blood sprouting from her veins were impossible to look past. She watched the blood drop down from the crude, transparent metal that came from seemingly nowhere.

Then it occurred to her: Noeya was a genius!

The ceiling was seemingly covered with gray metal, but no one could bathe in the sun without proper artificial light. The only way to get it there was through the ceiling, which had to be engineered from the same material Noeya used to cut her veins. She only knew two things about it, and the second was its low durability.

As the Justicars prepared to strike her down, she raised her left hand, bringing down the ceiling on the aliens. They screamed as the small pieces of transparent metal cut through their skin, hurting their large eyes based outside of their skull. Even the black one was distracted, trying to realize that he could see no longer.

None of them could see her, none of them could concentrate on her presence, which meant the perfect opportunity for Mira. She jumped to the closest Justicar, arriving beside him, cutting through his body with a quick stroke of the lightsaber.

As the body dropped on the floor, the next victim came in line. The Justicar made bold movements with his lightsaber, blindly, which made them incredibly easy to avoid. The first strike was fierce, aimed at the head of an imaginary foe. The second seemed to go towards the side of the same enemy, but she couldn't tell for sure, because by the time the Seka made this movement, she jumped behind him and pierced the green blade through his muscular body.

Hearing the painful scream of their fellow Justicar, the three remaining aliens turned towards Mira. The black one stood his ground, the others charged at her with bloody eyes, presenting the perfect opportunity to strike at them. Yet she waited, until they got close, preparing to kill their enemy with their blind and imperfect strikes.

She waited until then last moment, then two blows came, but none of them hit anything aside from the air. It took only one quick step to get out of their way, and as the yellow blades strode trough the air, Mira cut down both of their hands, then turned around, finishing her work with two quick strikes. One Justicar dropped to the ground with his head sliced in two, the other was cut in half with a swift strike.

Only the black one remained. He seemed to be just as blind as the other, but then the Justicar opened his eyes, showing the large chunks of transparent metal that stood in the middle of his eyeballs. He was able to see her, she was sure of that.

"Now we are equal," Mira said, turning her lightsaber behind her back.

"In the eye of the Force, there is no such thing as equal," the Justicar answered.

For a moment, they stood there like rocks, then Mira took the initiative, getting in front of him as quickly as possible. The large alien struck her down, aiming both lightsabers towards her chest. She stepped out of their way, striking at the side of her foe, but she was too late. The black one turned the right blade against her saber with incredible power. The green and yellow blades collided, pushing Mira to the opposite direction.

"Not bad, little one," the Seka groaned at her. "I shall pay my respects to your remains, once we are done here."

By the time he finished his sentence, she was ready for the second round. Both of them charged at each other, striking with one precise blow. Mira stopped, and looked down at the wound going through on her arm.

The Justicar gasped with a deep cut in his chest. He looked back at Mira, they locked eyes for a moment, then the black one collapsed on the ground.

"The honor was mine," Mira nodded, neglecting the pain from her wound.

She checked her surroundings, no foe remained in the mansion. She felt two presence in the Force, and both of them were radiating from the wall. It seemed like a hidden wardrobe, and if it was so, it had to have an _open_ button.

Mira couldn't find it, and she wasn't about to give time to the attackers to regroup.

"You can come out now. It's me," she said, stepping close to the wall.

"Prove it," Leana answered.

"Get out or I will tell Selene about those credit chips," she answered jokingly.

The door opened, and Leana stepped out with relief from the small, confined space of the wardrobe. The business broker quickly hugged Mira, who couldn't have been happier to see her old friend.

"Good to see you again," Leana whispered into her ear.

"You too," she answered, feeling her half-naked body on her soft clothing. She tried to push her away, but Leana kept hugging her anyway.

Then someone else stepped out of the wardrobe.

"So, what's the situation?" Carlos asked with a wide smile on his face. Mira was surprised for a moment. Somehow she forgot about him.

"The usual," she answered, while Leana finally let go of her.

"That bad?" the ex-stormtrooper answered.

"Yeah," she nodded. „Don't worry, I will get you out of here. You will be at a safe location while we take back the rest of the planet."

"No way," Leana snapped, still standing a little too close to Mira. "Where you go, we go," she continued, looking at Carlos.

"Actually, we will be fine with the safety part," he answered.

"Two against one," Mira nodded. "Besides, you won't like where I'm going anyway."

"Why? What are you up to?" Leana asked as she crossed her arms.

"I'm leading the charge against the Temple."

* * *

Noeya Adane left no survivors at the fiery remains of the once glorious temple. The tall, redheaded Sith stood at the innermost chamber of the temple, in the middle of the Garden of the Ancient Trees. She found it amusing to see the large, glowing trees in the chamber, and she was even more amazed by the amount of dead knights who that lay between the trees with only a few dead Justicars in their vicinity.

Her master was right, once she lead Mira away from here, it was easy to take the Temple. The problem was that she wanted to do nothing with that place. There were only one desire burning in the Sith's heart: getting close to Mira, and settle things once and for all.

A lone Justicar approached Noeya, stepping over the body of a dead knight.

"We found it, my lady," he told her with haste.

Another Justicars approached, carrying a large, gray stone in their hands.

"It was hidden well in the depths of the garden," the Justicar continued.

Noeya walked past him without saying a word, then touched the crude surface of the stone. Red light emitted from its surface, shedding glorious light onto her face.

"Good," she said looking at it with wide eyes.

"Good?" another voice asked.

Noeya looked to the side, seeing the man who gave her back her eyesight standing beside her. The Mentor shook his head, twisting his gray beard in his fingers.

"This stone is our salvation," he continued. "Right now, I have to hide from my foes, but it will give me my strength back very soon. Sooner than Harmony would get back to her feet. With it, this war will be the shortest and the most destructive one in the history of the galaxy."

"As it shall be, master," she answered. The Justicars looked at her, then they glanced the empty space where the Mentor should stand. "When will I get my chance with Mira?"

"You shall meet her in combat soon enough. But be patient, my apprentice, everyone will get what they deserve in their own time."

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_

 _Don't forget to leave some feedback ;)_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI:**  
Counterplan

Jaris stood firmly in front of Rya Venn's cabin. The comfortable yet isolated room proved to be the perfect place to monitor her activities, as long as he deemed the surveillance to be necessary. The twi'lek said she wanted kill herself, thus this seemed to be the most viable solution to the problem at hand. It didn't just serve her own safety, but it also contributed to their own: if the twi'lek would decide to steal another ship from the hangar bay, they would know about it beforehand.

The _Night Queen_ , the perfect copy Leana's favorite ship, was gone by now, the Empire swallowed it whole as soon as Admiral Dahn locked up Rya. The imperial fleet had left Nar Shaddaa soon after Jaris informed them that he wanted think about the decision a while longer. It was a tough call, but he wanted to hear Rya's part in the story before he would make a decision that could affect the lives of millions.

"So, are you going in or not?" Selene asked. The young twi'lek stood beside him, leaning to the wall with her back.

"All three of us should go," Seia added, standing between them.

"I don't want to make an interrogation out of it," Jaris shook his head. Rya has been through a lot of difficult situations in the past few months, forcing her to cooperate was the last thing she needed. "I'm going alone,"

After the two woman nodded in agreement, Jaris opened the cold, dark cabin's door. The young twi'lek positioned herself in the middle of the room, sitting over a purple carpet, meditating, trying to get out of the hole she sunk into. He stepped into the room, however she didn't seem to react to his intrusion.

"How are you doing?" Jaris asked, looking down on her. The twi'lek turned towards him slowly, refusing to open her eyes before him.

"You know that already," she answered with an expressionless face.

"Listen..." he continued, but the twi'lek interrupted him.

"You can't change my decision," she opened her empty, blue eyes. "I saw Selene's arm. What would you have done if Sigil kills her? What would have happened if Mira doesn't return?"

"How do you know she has returned?" Jaris frowned. Back then, when Rya stole the _Night Queen_ , his daughter was Mira was lost within the Seka Emporium's borders. Even Leana didn't know about her return – not until a week before the _Traxan's_ departure.

"You can see many things through the Force, once you made your peace with death," Rya answered. "But that doesn't change the question."

"I don't know what I would do," he answered, looking down on the floor, admitting his weakness. "But you didn't just try to kill yourself. You told them everything about us. Why?"

"Sigil killed my sister. You murdered him, true, but the Seka are still to blame. I want every ship in the galaxy heading towards their planet so they could annihilate them once and for all," she explained. Fenn expected a flinch, remorse or perhaps a faint smile, but she could find no expression on her slender face.

"You are a Jedi," Jaris reminded her.

"So are you," she answered. "You killed thousands, and became a hero. Luke killed millions, and became a legend. I aim to kill billions, and I shall become a goddess."

"What are you talking about?" he asked with disbelief. As far as he understood, Rya wanted to end her life, which had nothing to do with becoming a goddess. Once again, he had to remind himself that the Venn a sisters were a mystery on their own. Ann's death didn't mean it could be solved, it just endeepened the maze engulfing it.

"I have my goals, and you have yours," Rya continued. "Admiral Dahn made you an offer, I wouldn't refuse it in your stead."

"I can't siege Coruscan't, that could lead to the death of millions," he shook his head.

"The Seka killed millions already. Fail to stop them and they will slaughter everyone on Coruscant, that is more than certain."

"I won't do it," he shook his head.

"You will, you just have to think more about it," Rya answered, then she grabbed her lightsaber from the thin, brown belt surrounding her waist. "Until then, I recommend you to go to Hosnian Prime. If you want to speak to Admiral Ackbar, that is where you find him,"

"Why would I do that if I am still to consider the offer?" he frowned. He seemed less and logic in her words by the minute.

"You want both of their fleets. Trust me, this is to only way to get them."

"What way?"

Rya held her lightsaber in front of her, and ignited the green blade. Its brilliant light was only an inch from her face, yet she didn't flinch, she just sat there, staring deep into its light.

"Leave me be."

Jaris stood there for a moment, then he decided to leave the room. As soon as he got out, he turned to Seia and Selene, who paid careful attention to their conversation.

"I assume we can't trust her," Selene concluded.

"But we are going to do that anyway," Seia added, gaining both of their attention. "We just got reports about the Home One sited at Hosnian Prime. It happened two minutes ago. It was impossible for Rya to know it unless she knows a lot more about the Force than we do. Or she just sees someone who we would really want to meet right now," she explained.

"You think she can see Harmony?" Jaris asked. Nobody has sighted her since the awakening. Nor her, nor the Mentor, which was the most pleasant thing he knew right now.

"She is with us, we just don't know it yet," Seia nodded.

"She might be," he scratched his beard. "Keep a close eye on Rya, and double the guards around her cabin. We will see what she knows soon enough."

* * *

Mira looked around on the molten balcony, Leana and Carlos stood behind her, watching the battle-torn city lying before of them. Everything had gone bad to worse since the 16th Fleet had arrived in the system. The Seka invasion force got stuck between the defenders and the reinforcements, forced to dig in and hold out to the last man.

A skyscraper cracked into two before her, and fell to the street, killing thousands of people in its wake. Mira gave out a sigh. Countless buildings would fall before they won the battle, she knew that very well.

After the dust settled in, a small, white ship appeared on the horizon. The Nubian starship headed towards the balcony, hovering in the air before them, extending its narrow docking ramp towards the group. Mira could recognize the ship anywhere, it was the _Shadow Queen_ , Leana's secret flagship.

"Can you guys get across?" she asked, turning towards her friends.

"What do you think, genius?" Leana snapped, raising her hand toward the five meter gap between the docking ramp and the balcony's blackish edge.

"I will pull you in," Mira nodded, then she started off towards the ship.

After she got close to the edge, she only jumped at the last possible moment. Her shoes slipped on the gray metal, yet she managed to stay on board.

Leana went second, jumping after her only a few seconds later. Mira caught her easily with the Force, and guided her towards the docking ramp with a mere thought. After the arrival, the broker made her way to the ship's interior.

That was the moment when Carlos decided to go for it.

"I don't need any help," he stated. The ex-stormtrooper walked towards the edge, then he tripped on a molten piece of metal, and fell down towards the surface with a desperate roar. Mira managed to catch him twenty meters beneath the ship. She could easily lift him up on the ramp, where the ex-stormtrooper could catch his breath.

"You are welcome," she said a moment later.

"I totally had it under control," Carlos answered as he rushed inside the ship.

Mira looked back on the war torn city, gazing at the burning buildings and the colossal starships fighting above them, then she walked back to the safety of the _Shadow Queen's_ thick hull.

The docking ramp closed behind her with a loud thud. She heard footsteps as guards approached their position: five men appeared before her with blasters in their hand, wearing the usual black uniform used by Leana's private force.

"The Supreme Leader is with us," the broker instructed. "Escort her into our finest cabin. The second finest," she corrected, when it occurred to her that she was living in the best one.

"What about that guy?" a guard asked.

"Don't mind him, he was a stormtrooper," Leana shrugged jokingly, and started to walk towards the bridge.

"Hey!" Carlos objected, but he was quickly stopped by the guards.

Mira went after Leana with a smile on her face, leaving the clueless Carlos on the guard's judgement.

"Why do you want me to stay? I told you I'm going to the Temple," she said some time later, walking beside Leana in the thin, white corridor.

"You will see," Leana answered.

The bridge was larger than it was used to be. Dozens of men and women walked around the _Shadow Queen's_ _brain_ , handling tasks far more complex than maneuvering the ship. A blue hologram was displayed in the middle of the chamber, showing the long, muddled frontline between the Protectorate of Tria and the Seka Emporium.

"You see those green marks over there?" Leana asked, as she turned towards her.

"Those are my fleets, and the red ones..." she stopped when she realized that the Seka was retreating at all fronts. "We won every single battle since I issued that command."

"Switch the picture to Tria," Leana ordered.

The hologram showed the planet in flames, the 16th Fleet was swarming the Capital District, but that didn't stop the enemy from extracting their troops from the Temple and escorting it to safety. As the capital ship jumped into hyperspace, the rest of the Seka force seemed to retreat as well.

"We won," Mira concluded.

"And lost the war in return," Noeya objected.

She gazed at the Sith with clenched fists, however Leana quickly interrupted the internal struggle.

"They extracted the Heart of the Shrine, a relic believed to be able to completely restore the Mentor's power. Previously we thought it was a joke, but now that we know he exists, I'm afraid we have to go after that ship," Leana explained.

"Their ships are faster than ours," Mira shook her head. That capital ship will be deep within enemy lines long before any Trian ship could get near it.

"Actually, the _Shadow Queen_ could reach them in time. Once we stormed the ship, you could keep Noeya occupied while I get the relic."

"I can't leave my position," she objected.

Noeya immediately stepped before her.

"You are winning all around the place, and yet you are losing. What good are your soldiers?" the _ghost_ asked.

"I mean, I can leave, but I need to send further orders before I would leave everyone behind," Mira corrected herself.

"We will transmit everything needed once we are in hyperspace, but first we have to start the chase," Leana nodded, turning towards her crew. "Ladies and gentlemen, our suicide mission awaits!"

The _Shadow Queen_ rose into the sky. The ship's hull seemingly busted into space as it left the atmosphere, the flames settled soon after, giving way to the careful maneuvers needed to avoid the wreckages of starships and defense stations orbiting the planet.

"Departure vector set," the navigation officer reported.

"Shoot," Leana ordered.

The _Shadow Queen_ launched into hyperspace within an instance. As the blue cloud ran around the ship's exterior, Mira felt safe for the first time since the battle had began.

"Can I take a look at my cabin?" she asked. Technically she did what she wanted to do, but it was more polite to ask first, and act later.

"Sure," Leana nodded.

The guards escorted Mira to her cabin. The wide, open room was covered with elegant cupboards, desks and chairs, and finally, a large bed with white and gray sheets on it. She quickly closed the door, and made her way to the bed. After today, she needed no shower, no clothes, just a half a second in the comfortable sheets, and she already fell asleep.

As she lay on the bad, she dreamt about death, destruction and plagues all across the galaxy, and she could see only one person behind it. A man who died, yet came alive once more to unleash death and destruction among the stars.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_

 _Don't forget to leave some feedback ;)_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter VII:**  
Sigil

Noeya rushed to the Mentor's private chamber on board the Savaya. By this time, they left Tria hours ago, gliding swiftly in hyperspace towards the Seka homeworld. Her master wanted nothing more than being restored to his full strength, thus the ceremony itself was assured to be a short one. The Mentor hated the fame; he only cared about results.

For this reason, Noeya knew that her master wouldn't mind her rushing into his cabin with the most important stone in the galaxy. As the door opened, the old man stared at her, sitting in his chair with an expressionless face.

"Good," he said, glancing at the stone. "Put it on the floor, I shall do the rest."

Noeya did as she was ordered, placing the stone on the red carpet in the middle of the room. By the time she did that, the Mentor got up from the chair, and placed himself in front of the relic.

"Now observe," he said as he closed his eyes, endeepening his connection with the Force.

The stone glew red, casting impossible light over the cabin. She immediately put her hands in front of her eyes, knowing from firsthand how easily it could take her eyesight away.

"You can open them now, sweetheart." She didn't hear the Mentor's voice. It was someone else. Someone dead.

Noeya opened her eyes, and witnessed the impossible. Sigil stood in front of her, the thin, bald, yellow-eyed man, who was executed by Jaris Fenn for unleashing the Mentor and Harmony upon the galaxy.

"Missed me, little redhead?" her old master said with a grim smile on his face. "Of course you did. Everybody did. But right now we have more important concerns than me being me."

"How...?" Noeya asked, then she could speak no more. She desperately tried to articulate the words, any words, but they never came out of her mouth.

"Don't interrupt me again," Sigil said after he muted the apprentice. "But to answer your question: the Mentor merged with my remains, both body and mind. We became one, and since I'm much more appropriate to this age than that old monolith, we decided to use my form instead. I mean I chose it, we are one after all."

Noeya tried to answer, but he didn't let her do so.

"Now where I was... Ah, our concerns. We have a war, we have Fenn's little brat storming the ship, but I think Rya is the most important among them," Sigil explained.

"Storming the ship?" Noeya frowned. That was the last thing they needed.

"That schutta is still mad at me for killing her sister, and she is now on the bigger side of the galaxy, convincing people to gather their strength against us. I can easily stop Mira, or whatever she throws at me, but the whole galaxy is another thing," Sigil explained, walking up and down in the room. "I can't stop everybody at once, and they are out of my reach anyway. We have to think really carefully about our next move."

The combat alert's mechanic sound filled the room within the friction of a second. Whatever approached them, it had to be deadly and determined to stop them – otherwise they wouldn't dare to take on a ship like this in hyperspace.

"Oh, well, Mira is here," Sigil sighed.

Noeya felt the pressure peel off from her larynx. She could talk now.

"I will deal with her," she promised to her master. Sigil seemed to be just as powerful as the Mentor was, and if they were really the same person, then following his orders was her only way for survival.

"Actually, I have a better idea."

Mira stood at the bridge as the Shadow Queen approached the battlecruiser in hyperspace. The Savaya's long, robust body grew bigger by the second, slowly turning its enormous plasma cannons towards the invader.

"You can begin," Leana ordered.

Most Naboo corvettes had no weapons, nevertheless, the Shadow Queen was armed to the teeth. Leana ordered six trian beam cannons to be placed on the ship, two at the front, four on the sides of the corvette. Now that she gave the order, the cannons fired as one, unleashing a blaze of deadly lasers upon their foe, only to be neutralized by the enemy's shields with a sudden glow.

The Savaya returned fire within a friction of a second. At first Mira thought, they weren't prepared to fight a ship this size, but she was dead wrong. The Savaya's defense cannons finished their turn towards the Shadow Queen, unleashing hundreds of small beams upon their target. As the corvette glided out of their way, a pair of rail guns opened fire on the ship, threatening it with certain doom.

They missed, yet this was only a friction of what the Savaya could do.

"They are preparing to launch torpedoes," the captain reported with a frown on his face.

A plasma bolt hit the ship, causing intense tremors on the bridge. The lights flickered for a second, yet they quickly returned. The shields held, at least for the moment.

"Get on top of that bastard!" Leana yelled. "We are bringing this fight to them."

"How do we get passed the shield?" Mira turned towards her, then glanced back to the sight of blazing guns and lasers.

"We launch our own torpedoes," she answered.

The Shadow Queen turned towards the back of its prey, firing eight modified proton torpedoes on the target area. The warheads went through the shield with ease, colliding into the ship's thick armor.

The explosion tore off almost every inch of duranium protecting its inner deck.

Almost.

"Prepare for landing! They won't be able to target us in that hole!" Leana ordered, and the ship quickly flew into position. "I go for the stone, you go for Noeya, the crew will protect the ship."

"Alright," she nodded. Leana could handle herself, she knew that very well. The guards will probably do their best to keep the ship under their command, and they were specifically chosen for that purpose. Thus, the only liability was her, the girl who was supposed to defeat Noeya Adane.

And she had to deal with her quickly. However heroic the guards would fight, the Savaya could stop at any moment, unlashing hundreds of fighters upon them, or perhaps even worse. If they were to do some serious damage, they had to do it fast and they had to make their escape even faster.

The Shadow Queen descended into the hole in the thick layer of armor. A small, circular tube descended from the Naboo corvette's hull, linking with the Savaya to drill through its remaining armor.

Mira waited until the drill's mechanic sound ceased to oblivion, and made her way towards the tunnel.

"And Mira," Leana grabbed her shoulder.

She stopped.

"I know she is your friend, but you probably have to kill her."

"I know," she nodded.

Numerous ropes hung from the tunnel in order to provide a passage for the invaders. Mira was the first to descend, in the constant screaming of the alarm, she saw no enemy in the narrow hallway illuminated by red light.

Leana and her bodyguards descended a minute later. The rest stayed on the ship for now, including Carlos, since it seemed easier to defend it that way.

"The sensors are picking up the Stone's location," the broker stated. "But we have no clue about Noeya."

"I can feel her presence, she is on her way, coming from the East," she pointed towards the other end of the corridor. "I don't advise you to go there,"

"Don't worry, we won't," she nodded. "May be Force be with you," she said after taking a step or two.

"Good luck," Mira nodded, and went onward.

She strode through the corridors one after the other. The first one was empty, as well as the second one – just like the third one. Something was not right, yet Noeya's presence grew stronger than ever.

"You sure you want to go forward?" Noeya asked.

Mira ignited her lightsaber, and cut through the Sith with a vicious blow to the chest.

"It's the fake me, genius," the Sith smiled. "I just gave some advice so you could stay alive a bit longer. Not like you are about to live long though."

She walked past her, entering the next corridor, but someone else greeted her instead of her of her old friend.

"Sigil..."

Mira stood in front of him like she had seen a ghost. But deep down she knew the truth.

"What? You thought I would miss the party?" the old man laughed as he approached her. Strangely, Sigil had no lightsaber.

"You killed Ann, you kriffing bastard!" Mira raised her voice, igniting her lightsaber.

"You wanted to do it too, remember? But you got over your """bad""" years quickly, didn't you? You lacked the resolve to be who I am, and you became so distant from yourself that you were denied to be what I have become," he said as he stopped two steps from her. "Such a shame. You could be my nemesis, but what did I get? The good old pathetic you..."

"I am your nemesis," Mira stated, raising her lightsaber to his face. She wanted to be brave, yet she had no idea what would happen if she were to strike the new Mentor.

"If you were, we could actually fight each other, but we can spare at best," he shook his head.

Mira stood in front of him in silence.

"Don't believe it? Come on! Strike me!" Sigil yelled, encouraging her assault. "Come on..." he continued, but Mira stroke at his head with the saber.

The blade didn't even scratch his skin.

"Now, that's what I'm talking about!" Sigil added.

Mira looked up, and she froze. This wasn't a fight for the Mentor. It was just a child's game he played for the sake of killing time.

"Got scared, didn't we?" Sigil laughed at her face. "Come on, attack me!"

She took a deep breath, and tried to chop his head off. Sigil caught the blade in the air, negating the impossible heat radiating from the weapon.

"That's all you got?" Sigil shook his head in disbelief.

Then he slapped her on the face.

She was too scared to do anything about it. At least for the first time. When Sigil wanted to slap her again, she jumped back, feeling the warm blood in her mouth from the previous strike.

"You can't stop me, but you could join me," Sigil continued. "Wait... Actually, that seat is taken by your little friend."

The old man approached her, and she took one step after the other, trying to keep her distance from him. At one point Sigil vanished. She didn't stop until she ran into someone. Without a thought, Mira swung the lightsaber behind her back, stabbing the blade into her foe.

"Mira..." Leana gasped.

"No!" she cried out.

The broker changed back to Sigil, the blade rested effortlessly in the old man's hand. He slapped her again, and Mira spun in the air only to find herself on the battlecruiser's cold floor.

"You can't win. Why don't you die already?" Sigil asked.

Mira jumped up from the ground and cut him again. The effect was the same as it was on the previous occasions.

"And now what, little Mira?" Sigil asked with a wide smile on his face.

"Now we fight, until one of us dies," Mira said with anger, gliding the lightsaber behind her back.

She knew she didn't have a chance against him. There was only one being in the galaxy who could fight the Mentor as an equal combatant. And at this point, no one knew where she was.

At least as far as she was concerned.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_

 _Don't forget to leave some feedback ;)_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII:**  
Sacrifice

When the _Traxan_ exited hyperspace above the Hosnian Prime, Jaris was relieved to see the _Home One_ orbiting the planet. Opposite to the Empire, they weren't known for picking fights with no reason, but just to be sure, he ordered to keep the shields at full capacity, in case something would go wrong.

As the escort ships took diamond formation around the battlecruiser, Admiral Ackbar made his move.

"They activated their shields," Seia reported. She looked well and ready for anything the New Republic could throw at them.

"What about their weapons?" Jaris asked.

"Negative," she shook her head.

Ackbar played it safe, just like he did. As they approached the _Home One_ , he decided this was the perfect time to make contact with them.

"Open a channel to the _Home One_ ," he ordered.

"As you wish," Seia nodded.

The signal went to the Mon Calamari Cruiser within a mere second. Admiral Ackbar appeared on the wall, looking down at them from his uplifted seat.

"I suspected you would come here eventually, Fenn," the Mon Calamari stated. The supreme leader couldn't read the face expressions of his species, but the admiral's firm voice told a lot about his attitude.

They weren't welcome in their space.

"I came here on behalf of the Protectorate of Tria." Jaris explained. "We are recruiting forces against an upcoming alien invasion. Without the help of the New Republic, I'm afraid we could do little to stop them."

"I know that already," Ackbar blinked with his large, round eyes. "And you should also know that we have no ships to spare at the moment."

"Then why are we still talking?" he asked.

"Because it is within your realm of possibilities to ease up the situation. If you do it, we could spare a sector fleet at your disposal."

 _A whole sector fleet?_ He thought. Whatever the admiral had in mind, it could mean the start of a promising alliance. Problem was: these kind of promises never came without a proper price.

"I am all ears, admiral," he nodded.

"We cannot afford to discuss it in an open channel. You should come to our ship, where I should explain everything to you," Ackbar answered.

Jaris didn't look back to Selene before he would answer.

"As you wish."

As magnificent the _Home One_ looked from the outside, it proved to be just as much of a mess from the inside. Half of the crew was still repairing the damage they took in the Battle of Endor, the other half was carrying important supplies up and down from the hangar bay. They did so because the Hosnian Prime could cater a vast amount of resources for the repairs, and the _Home One_ could provide everything they needed down there.

Ackbar could have arranged everything on a space station with more efficiency, but even as damaged as it was, the Mon Calamari Cruiser was capable of guarding the planet, and right now, after losing one third of the Republic Fleet, they needed to use every ship they still had.

The guards escorted Jaris through the corridors into the command deck of the ship. Admiral Ackbar stood in the large, circular room, only a few guards stood beside him at the corridor. They had little use though, as a former jedi master, Jaris could easily slice through them if he wanted to hurt their commander. Their presence here was merely a formality, a sign of distrust.

A large, red hologram were animated in the middle of the room, resembling an enormous asteroid with two Star Destroyers guarding it. He could see a large, circular object on the surface of the asteroid, a wide shield bubble protected it, possibly generated from the asteroid's surface.

"What am I seeing, admiral?" he asked, stepping close to the hologram.

"This is the asteroid ASN124, located at the edge of the Outer Rim. The forces you see do not directly belong to the Empire. They are part of a new threat known as the First Order, and they are building a superweapon that outshadows the Death Star."

Jaris looked at the asteroid, quickly noticing the mountain sized object on its surface.

"Doesn't look like a superweapon to me," he scratched his ear.

"It's not the whole thing, only a part of it," Ackbar answered. "Our spies report it is an energy capacitor based on a technology that doesn't belong to the known galaxy. It can generate more energy than an A-type star, granting the ability for its user to ensure the simultaneous destruction of several planets."

"I've never seen anything like this in the Unknown Regions, but that hardly matters. If you take this out, this First Order would be unable to make a new one. So they either make their superweapon eat stars between each shot or they will have to abandon their project in its entirety. Question is, if there are only two Star Destroyers here, then why didn't you attack the place already?" Jaris turned back to him.

"The First Order represents an influential part of the Empire, and it wants its independence ever since the battle of Jakku. Most of these elements are still hostile to us, but the First Order is not. If we attack them now, we will have a new enemy to deal with, which will force everything we've got to the frontline."

"But if I do it, then the weapon is gone, and you still have some ships to spare," Jaris concluded.

"So will you do it or not?"

"I guess I will have to."

* * *

Mira kept striking at Sigil, but there was no way for her to overcome him. The old man chased her back where she entered the Savaya, but she was unable to get back to the ship and fight him at the same time. Even if she would do so, this meant abandoning Leana and leading Sigil to the Shadow Queen. Thus she either got rid of him or died trying.

She jumped to the other side of the man, slicing towards his guts with the saber. Sigil caught it with his hand, she tried to pull it out, yet it mattered little which direction she pulled the blade, it got stuck between his fingers.

"Annoying when this happens, right?" Sigil asked with a smile on his face. "Especially when it doesn't supposed to happen. How could plasma be stuck in something as pitiful as my hand?"

"Go to hell!" Mira yelled, deactivating her lightsaber.

Sigil wanted to slap her, this time she was faster. Jumping out of the blow, she got behind him and cut his foe yet again with the green blade. The result was the same as with every other attempt.

She took a step back from him.

Noeya appeared between them.

"That's enough," she said, and both of them stopped.

It was strange, Mira could swear that Sigil saw the Sith just like she did, but that was impossible. She couldn't have been the real Noeya Adane – the Sith would have cut her down already –, and that meant the old man was merely playing with her.

"Get back to the ship," Noeya turned towards her. "I will take it from here,"

"What?" Mira asked with a shock on her face.

"Go!"

Real or not, she trusted Noeya enough to know she wanted her to live. While the Sith approached Sigil, she began to run towards the boarding chamber, and started to climb the ladder leading to the Shadow Queen.

"You cannot stop me!" Sigil yelled. It could have been meant either to her or Noeya.

"Wrong," the answer came, but not from Mira.

Mira looked down as she climbed, and she has seen the impossible: the Sith raised her arm up, and using the Force, she pushed Sigil into the corridor's gray wall. She hurt him, her mere imagination was able to wound the Mentor.

"Go!" Noeya yelled at her.

Confused and afraid, Mira climbed up the ladder, getting on board the ship. A dozen guards stood at the other side, with Carlos in the middle. The ex-stormtrooper held a pack of thermal detonators in his hand, ready to blow in the entry way whenever it was needed.

"We have to leave! Now!" she yelled as soon she got up the deck.

"What about Leana?" Carlos frowned.

"She is dead," she answered. "Noeya used to stone to restore the Mentor. I could barely escape myself." She didn't see Ventress die, but if she was approaching Sigil the whole time, the real Noeya must have been the one guarding the stone. She either killed her or she will use her to get to her.

"That can't be! We have to go after her!" Carlos yelled.

"The captain's orders are clear," the chief of security stated. "If she is to die during the attack, the Shadow Queen belongs to Supreme Leader Mira Wess."

 _Thank you, Leana, s_ he thought.

"We can't just leave her!" Carlos protested.

"I'm sorry, we have to go," she put her hand on his shoulder. "They will pay for what happened here, I can promise you that."

* * *

Noeya did as her master ordered. As soon as Leana entered the room, she knocked her unconscious with a Force push, and left her strapped to a chair in the middle of the room. Leana was still unconscious when Sigil entered the room.

"Mira?" Noeya asked.

"Everything goes as planned," the old man nodded, and looked down on their captive. "Good, you got her. Now it is time to kill her."

Sigil stepped close to Leana and placed his hand on her forehead. Red light emerged from his fingers, and the woman's skin burst into flames, consuming her body within seconds.

Noeya stepped back, her back hit the wall. No one could kill someone by a simple touch, or at least that's what she was thought. Only a small fragment remained from the body, a little, white crystal that dropped down in the middle of the chair's cushion.

"Ah, there it is, the Living Stone," Sigil said as he took it into his hand, carefully observing the tiny object. "You have no idea what it is, don't you?"

Noeya shook her head.

"It makes a connection to our world, a place where the dead go from yours. It can pull someone back from there, making it seem like they never died in the first place. The effect fades after a few weeks, but until that, it is unnoticeable," he explained, observing every part of the small stone.

"She was dead long before she got here," Noeya concluded.

"Yes. Harmony used the crystal to reanimate her from the dead, this way _Leana_ could continue to fulfill her role. She would have been gone after a few days or so, but we had to get our hand on the crystal. This way I am able to locate the other two still in use," he explained.

"There are two more dead among them?" she asked.

"Harmony might be hiding, but her influence in strong, and her mind games are a menace," Sgil nodded. "Despite what most of you believe, Rya is not among us anymore. She killed herself the very day she stole the Night Queen from Fenn. She couldn't live with the guilt, and now that she is back, Harmony uses her to gather allies. But now I can find her and kill her like before she does so."

"I understand," she nodded. "But who is the third one, master?"

"You don't know?" Sigil crossed his eyebrows.

Noeya looked down on the floor.

"You can't be serious," he shook his head. "It's been right in front of you ever since this all began."

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_

 _Don't forget to leave some feedback ;)_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX**  
Wrath

It was a difficult choice to order the Shadow Queen back to Tria, but Mira had to do it. They had to mourn the dead, repair the damage, and tend to their injuries. They had to be ready for the next round with Sigil, otherwise they would stand no chance against him.

At first, Mira hesitated to take some time to herself, but Carlos quickly convinced her otherwise. She was their leader, her well-being was just as important as anyone else's health. The injuries suffered from Sigil would heal on time, but the inquisitor's lightsaber left far deeper scars on her skin. It was a good thing Leana stocked up on bacta.

Once all her wounds were bandaged, she went back to her cabin in order to rethink the events leading to this moment. She sat down on the carpet to meditate, the painful memories of the battle echoed in her head like tremors. They struck her time and time again, showing her how easily Sigil could have killed her. If not for Noeya, he could have easily done so.

But how could Noeya had helped her, when she was a product of her imagination?

If she didn't exist, there was only one possible explanation: Mira was the one with the power to stop Sigil. And that could have been achieved only by joining with Harmony.

"You are thinking about the sacrifice, aren't you?" Noeya asked, meditating in front her.

Mira opened her eyes, standing the ghost's gaze.

"I'm dead," Mira answered. "Harmony accepted me as a sacrifice, she dug herself into my brain, and slowly took control of my body. She stopped Sigil, it wasn't me. I saw you doing so because that's the only way my decaying mind could process what happened."

"Close your eyes," Noeya ordered.

Mira complied. This could have been the final step, when her consciousness sinks into the depths of her brain, giving its place to Harmony. But she was ready for it.

"Open them."

Mira froze when she saw Harmony sitting in front of her. The young, ashen haired woman sat at the same place Noeya did before. She wore white silk clothes, her ocean blue eyes were locked with hers, gazing into her soul.

"I rejected you for the reasons I stated before. Although at the time you had no notion about who I really was," Harmony explained. Mira was relieved to know she was herself, however the explanation raised more questions than it answered.

"Then why are you here? Why can I see you when no one else can?"

"I can use the Force to maintain my presence in other's minds, similarly as you speak with your father through vast distances, sending mere thoughts into each other's minds. I had to do it because you were not ready for the task Jaris gave you. Letting you squander the entire Protectorate Armada would have been illogical for my part. Thus I made sure you would make the right calls in the right time,"

"You used me," Mira concluded.

"You would be dead without me," Harmony stated. "Now the Seka Fleet is running scared from my forces. When reinforcements arrive, it will be more than possible to organize the final assault against the Mentor."

"You mean Fenn?" she asked.

"Much like you, he decided to chase a goal that he could not achieve on his own. I help him just as I helped you."

"But Sigil... Rhe Mentor got his strength back," Mira shook her head. "Why did you let him get the stone? Why did you let Leana die?"

"Because by that time I almost completely regained my strength, but the Mentor was weak. I couldn't let him fight like that..."

"Why?" Mira interrupted, glaring at her with anger.

"Because this is the only way we could fight our battle as equals," she answered with a wry smile on her face.

"What do you mean?" Mira raised her voice. "You let all those people die because you want a fair fight?"

Harmony stroke out in laughter, then she quickly regained her composure.

"Once you see the things I'd witnessed, you will learn to appreciate the times of imminent danger. To me, the Mentor is the only one who could pose a threat. I was unable to experience fear, one of the most basic emotions of all, for far longer than you could ever imagine. But now – she took a deep, relaxing breath –, I feel like I became whole once more.

"And you are expecting me to follow you?" Mira glared back at her. She was a puppet to her, nothing more. In fact, nobody meant anything more to Harmony than a mere tool.

"As the situation stands, I either stop the Mentor with your help, or you and everyone you ever knew will soon be dead."

* * *

Jaris knew the First Order wouldn't ask them nicely about leaving the planet. He ordered the fleet to be ready for battle, and he was right to do so. As soon as the Traxan and its escort jumped out of hyperspace, two Star Dstroyers unleashed a merciless salvo upon them.

The green lasers took a frigate apart within an instant. The Traxan suffered multiple hits, however its shields were more than able to handle the damage. The crew on the bridge worked with haste to reinforce the front shields, launch their fighters and lock their guns on the closest Star Destroyer.

"Aim at the main reactor," he ordered.

The Traxan's long, spear-like main gun shot a deadly ray of blue plasma upon its foe. The projectile carved through the darkness of space, colliding viciously with the armoured front of the enemy ship. The Star Destroyer's shield ceased to exist with a valiant glow, but its hull was able to withstand the heat. The plasma burned through hundreds of meters of durasteel, carving an enormous scar into the upper front of the ship, yet the main reactor stayed safe underneath it.

The Star Destroyer answered with dozens of turbolaser shots, aimed at the Traxan's bridge, taking the shields under a valiant siege. The bridge shook vehemently as the shots evaporated in front of them, leaving nothing but blue flashes after themselves. The other Star Destroyer joined in, firing shot after shot and launching dozens of fighters in the battlefield.

"Change target vector to the bridge!" he ordered.

"Bridge locked," Seia nodded. "Ready to fire in three, two, one... Fire!"

The main gun evaporated the bridge, carving a long, fiery hole into the brain of the magnificent ship. As the wreckage slowly glided towards the asteroid's gray, rocky surface, the other decided to take evasive actions. The V shaped nose went upwards; hiding the bridge safely from the battlecruiser's main cannon.

Jaris felt relief, seeing the bald but resourceful step. From that position, there was no way the turbolasers could fire on them. The fighters remained their only problem, wreaking havoc between their ships – they even gave a hard time to the Acclamator.

The K shaped zatan combat crafts were in many ways superior to TIE fighters, except for speed and firepower. Their disadvantage made it impossible to protect the vulnerable ships from them, and that meant a lot of losses.

Unless...

"Fire at the hangar bay on my mark!" he ordered, and waited.

The Star Destroyer's enormous body glided forward in the darkness, slowly putting the hangar bay in the ideal angle.

"Now!" he yelled, and the Traxan fired at the very second.

The blue ray of plasma went through the shield with ease, burning through the hangar bay and the decks above it. It went onward, melting the upper armor, and carving a hole into the command center.

"Target neutralized," Seia reported.

Fenn gazed at the dead giant, the wreckage was slowly pulled to the asteroid's surface, where it shall remain a deterrent to those who would dare to think of an attack against the Protectorate of Tria.

"The fighters are still upon us, they might have another capital ship in the area," Seia turned towards him.

"Doubt it," Jaris shook his head. "It's a suicide run. Not much we can do about that."

"We can't wait out the dogfights," Seia objected.

"We won't," he answered. "Fly above the base. It's time to begin stage two."

The TIE fighters tried everything the stop them, but their numbers grew thinner by the second. By the time the Traxan reached the asteroid, no fighters remained to harass them.

The Traxan unleashed a battalion of jump pods above the base. The thick, circular crafts went through the surface, stopping at the first and second floors of the complex. Fenn and Seia shared the same pod; they both went to the command center, the only place where they the shield could be neutralized from.

The two of them sat in front of each other in the small space, waiting for the vacuum to get rid of the welcome party. Once that happened, the base closed the breaches with its internal shields, and repressurized the section. Jaris stood up and kicked the door open, seeing nothing but an empty, gray corridor in front of him. Seia followed him, activating her lightsaber in her hand.

Jaris did the same thing, the blue and yellow blades burnt like torches in the lightly illuminated area.

"There will be many of them ahead," he said, taking large steps towards the command center. It wasn't far away, but the road could prove to be difficult nevertheless.

"We should have brought more Knights," Seia answered, looking with concern at the door ahead.

"You are the only one who could keep up with me. At least at some rate," he answered, as he opened the door with the Force.

Four stormtroopers stood at the entrance, ready to take a shot at the newcomers. The infamous E-11 blasters opened fire, the hissing sound of lightsabers and screams filled the small corridor, as both Fenn and Seia defended themselves with deadly precision. The Prophet blocked a shot aimed to his head, the laser went back, hitting the last remaining stormtrooper in the chest.

The soldier collapsed, Fenn looked back at the Knight.

"Keep your eyes peeled."

"Will do," Seia nodded, and rushed after the Prophet.

The next couple of stormtroopers awaited them at the command center's entrance. As soon as they raised their guns, Jaris grabbed them with the Force and pushed them to the wall with a deadly strike.

The Force gave out many warnings about the other side of the room. Fenn looked back to Seia, they both knew, there was no turning back.

"Let's go," she nodded.

When Jaris opened the door, three black-robed figures looked back at him from the large, circular room. The area was filled with consoles, showing holomaps and status reports on the secret project. A small probe droid floated at the middle of the room, it made a run for it as the three figures reached for their double bladed lightsabers.

"Inquisitors," he warned Seia, but there was no need. The Knight was used to face other Force-users.

"Time to die, Jedi," the Dathomiri stated, standing at the middle of the room.

Jaris gave out a Force-push immediately, getting his opponents out of the balance as he rushed at them. He approached the inquisitor standing closest to him. The gray Dathomiri couldn't gain his balance back in time, he tried to defend himself from the Prophet's strike aimed at his shoulder, but he failed. The blue lightsaber cut into his flesh, it went from his shoulder to his stomach, and it left his body below the ribs.

The inquisitor fell on the floor split into two. A large figure made his way to Jaris while the third, slender woman rushed towards Seia with a fierce battle cry. He trusted the Knight to take care of her, thus he concentrated solely on his fight with their third opponent.

The inquisitor struck at his side, but he countered the blow easily with his lightsaber. As the blue blade fastened on its counterpart, the other end of the red blade got lot closer to his side by the second. The Prophet took a step back, and let the inquisitor slash into the air between them. As soon as strike halted, Fenn stepped forward and cut the blade into two.

Most double-bladed sabers worked after their separation, but this one gave out completely. The inquisitor looked at him with terror, then Jaris cut his head off with a fierce blow.

As the inquisitor collapsed, the Prophet looked at back at Seia. The Knight cut the woman's hand off with the yellow blade, then she made a half turn, splitting the inquisitor into two.

"Barely keep up, huh?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"I knew you would bring that up," he answered. He turned to the console ahead, he wanted to see their present situation.

The shield was running at full capacity, his forces were waiting for the chance to fire at them. He wanted to turn it off, but the console didn't answer to his commands.

"What the...?" he asked as dozens of other ships entered the star system. The armada of fifteen Star Destroyers was led by the Decimator, Admiral Dahn's personal warship. As he realized that, the newcomers opened fire at his forces.

The Traxan was lucky, its strong shields could deal with the barrage, but the rest of the fleet couldn't. The makeshift armada evaporated into dust in front of his eyes. The Acclamator was ripped into two.

"Fenn..." Seia whispered.

He looked back at her, and froze. A lightsaber was struck into her stomach. A tall, robed figure was behind the woman, a gray-skinned Muun filled with scars, and with a strange mask on his face.

The Sith pulled the ligtsaber out of Seia, the woman collapsed dead on the floor.

"Don't fear, Jedi, it's an honor to die by the blade of Darth Plagueis," the Muun said, stepping closer to the Prophet.

"I'm no Jedi," Jaris answered, and pulled Seia's lightsaber into his hand. In this fight, he will need all the weapons he could get.

"Oh, yes, you are Jedi. You are just too afraid to face it," Darth Plaguies answered, raising his lightsaber in the air. "Come, kill the Dark Lord of the Sith. Vanquish your foe once and for all!"

Jaris took a deep breath and rushed towards the Sith. Darth Plagueis raised his hand, pushing him to the other side of the room. His back knocked heavily on the durasteel, his ribs cracked like sticks in a valiant storm.

He tried to get up, but he couldn't.

"So easy," the Sith said as he stepped closer to the Prophet. "So easy..." he repeated, but then he stopped.

Fenn looked up, the first thing he saw was Rya Venn standing at the other side of the room. He had no idea how the Twi'lek could get here, but he could definitely use her help. Together they might just have a chance against the Sith.

"Brave move to come here," Darth Plaguies said, reading the mind of the approaching rescuer. "You are no Jedi. Indeed, I can sense it. You are something more... Much more," he added, Jaris could sense terror in his voice.

"For you, my friend, I am the impossible," Rya stated, and hurled herself upon her foe.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_

 _Don't forget to leave some feedback ;)_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapther X:**  
Wrath

Darth Plagueis met his match in Rya Venn. The young Twi'lek could easily counter his blows or just simply jump out of their way – and she followed up with deadly counterattacks. Even the Legendary Lord of Sith had difficulties with foreseeing her moves, and that was a serious disadvantage in their encounter.

Fenn had no choice but to watch their struggle. His broken back was a curse, it made him feel like a useless pile of meat, waiting to be slaughtered. He would happily give his lightsaber to the Twi'lek, however she seemed to be content with one weapon.

Rya stepped out of an attack aimed at her shoulder, then cut the blade deep into the Muun's arm. Darth Plagueis bore the agony without a sound, he stepped back, giving himself some space for the next stroke of moves.

"You shouldn't be here. You were imprisoned," the Muun said under his mask.

"And your were dead," Rya answered, getting ready for an attack.

"The Force will never abide to one entity, it simply doesn't work in this manner. Now that you emerged from the shadows, your counterpart couldn't be far either."

"I can't wait to kill him," she answered.

"Then he would re-emerge, just like he always did."

"Then I shall kill him again," Rya said with a grim expression.

"And as you do so, the galaxy should burn. Is this really your mentality? Isn't this everything you were supposed to deny?" he frowned.

"I am the night, I am the terror, I am the death itself. I am the Light Side of the Force," she answered. "And you are just a mere pretender who knows nothing about the Force. It is not tool, it's not meant to protect anyone. The dead are the only one who could exist in harmony with this world. And dead they shall be. All of who exist."

"No you don't," Darth Plagueis raised his voice. "You are the protector of life. For you the Force is there to use. You wouldn't dare to kill anyone."

"You mistake me with the Mentor," Harmony laughed, raising her lightsaber in front of her.

Darth Plagueis raised his blade in defense, but Rya was already too close. The Twi'lek cut off his arm easily, then she put the blade into the Muun's chest with a sudden stroke. The fight was over before it would really begin.

"I was wrong..." the Muun said, struggling with his dying body.

"Fear not, all mortals are wrong, ever since my imprisonment," Rya told him, taking a step away from the body. "They thought the light of the burning fire is good, yet it consumes them. They thought power is wrong, that strength is nothing but a mere tool to destroy. Yet it is the only thing that can protect them from the fire. But now they shall learn, just as you did," Rya said as she raised her hand.

The Twi'lek pushed the half-dead Sith to wall, crushing almost every bone in his body. A broken pile of meat dropped back from the wall. It was lifeless.

"You've seen it all," Rya turned towards Jaris.

"You are evil," he said, trying to make sense of everything.

"My goal is nothing, but coexistence. Living don't coexist, they transform. Only the dead can exist in harmony," she said, leaning close to him. "The question is. Will you defy me and die, or follow me and perish among the last of the living?"

The answer was obvious. Jaris could do nothing against her, but later on he could make sure that both Harmony and the Mentor perish in the battle to come. Darth Plagueis was right about the balance, one of them couldn't exist without the other. But if none of them did, the cycle would be broken.

"I will serve you, Harmony," he answered.

Rya touched his shoulder. Jaris felt a sudden stroke of pain, then the agony was gone. He felt better than ever. His spine was healed, he could move again, and he quickly got up from the ground, thanking her for what she did.

"You seen nothing from my power," Rya said, glancing at the monitor, showing the ongoing battle. They lost many ships, yet the _Traxan_ managed to stay in one piece. "But now you shall see what I can do."

Rya's eyes gloved with blue light as a large, fog-like entity appeared on the monitor. The vicious cloud approached Admiral Dahn's fleet, and it destroyed everything in its way.

"This is captain Egon from the _Traxan_ ," his deputy said in the comm, trying to reach him in the desperate moment. Jaris couldn't answer, the shock was too much. "There is a fog... it destroys all imperial ships... Sithspawn, they hit the _Devastator_! It's in pieces! They are retreating... No, it destroys them all..."

Silence followed as the entity wrecked the remaining imperial ships. Fighters, Cruisers, Star Destroyers, all were destroyed by Harmony's seemingly unlimited power.

"My lord, the enemy is gone. And the fog has disappeared. It destroyed the conduit too..."

"Roger that. I'm on my way back. Rya is with me," he answered as soon as the shock let him do so.

The Twi'lek gazed over the Dark Lord's body, then turned back to him.

"I deemed the Empire to be useless for my fight, but the Republic might still do. They shall come after this victory. With our forces I will be able to fight the Mentor on my terms, that ensures his demise."

"Where do you want to fight him?"

"We are going to the heart of the Seka Emporium."

* * *

Tha _Atega_ 's command center was as busy as ever. The Protectorate's best and brightest stood around the tactical table, planning the final assault of the never ending war. Mira glanced at the holographic image resembling Seka Prime, a giant metropolis surrounded by dozens of battle stations and the remainder of the Seka armada. It counted more than three hundred Battlecruisers.

The fleet didn't surround the entire planet, there were no need of it. The ships protected the key points of the planet-wide city: the defense grid's fortified bunker, where they could shut down their defense stations, and the Hall of Knights, the dreaded place where the Mentor and Noeya Adane seated, surrounded by hundreds of Justicars ready to fight to the death.

A blue arrow pointed towards the planet's orbit. According to Harmony, Fenn and a republic armada will come through there at the given time, helping them to stop the eternal evil.

Mira took a deep breath, and began the briefing.

"Gentleman, the time has come to end the war. A week from now, High Prophet Jaris Fenn will arrive with a republic fleet, launching an invasion from above the Hall of Knights. By this time, our forces will have to be present in the system, providing him with all the ships, vehicles and men he needs to stop the Mentor," she explained. Harmony promised to be there, however Mira had no idea where she would come from and what form she would wish to take part in the battle. "Concerning the stakes and the short time for the preparations, we are ready to launch four interstellar armadas to Seka Prime," she pointed towards the second arrow at the map. "The 16th fleet will go first, backed by the 29th and the 25th armada's. Soon after our arrival, the battle will unfold between our fleets and the remaining Seka forces. The 7th fleet will arrive at the midst of the battle, at safe distance from our forces. Depending on the present situation, they will either provide support to the High Prophet, us or hammer the planet with everything they've got."

"My lady, you mean to destroy the planet's surface in the middle of an invasion?" Admiral Egon asked.

"The mentor has to be stopped at all cost," Mira nodded. "Harmony promised us we would have the upper hand, but if anything goes wrong, we can quickly lose the three fleets alongside with our reinforcements. In that case the 7th fleet will be our last hope to stop the Mentor. They will have to eliminate the population, otherwise the mentor will have enough goons to march over the known galaxy."

"This is genocide," Captain Adam stepped in.

"They wanted to do the same with Tria," Egon glared at him. "The aliens will get what they deserve."

"Still, the orbital bombardment is our last resort," Mira stated. "With this, I declare the meeting to an end. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and little time to do so."

"What about Harmony?" Captain Adam asked. "Will she be here with us?"

"She will be here, providing vital support against the Mentor. We couldn't hope to win otherwise," she answered.

Mira felt uncertainty saying those words. She knew that Harmony deliberately wanted this battle, thus she couldn't be sure about her allegiance. Was she serving with the good guys manipulated by the evil? Or they themselves were the evil?

However it might have been, one thing was certain: if either the Mentor or Harmony leaves the battlefield, the cycle of destruction will continue, and death shall be brought upon to an untold number of people.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_

 _Don't forget to leave some feedback ;)_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI:**  
Truth

Sigil sat in his chair deep within the Dark Temple. The ancient chamber was filled with the statues of those who had come before him. Mighty rulers, generals and self-proclaimed gods, who died long ago, yet would be remembered for an eternity. Battle hardened Justicars stood in front of each statue, protecting him and the artifacts at the same time. One day, there would be a sculpture after him as well, but for now, he was located at the far end of the majestic hall.

As he sat there, contemplating on the future, Noeya Adane rushed into the room. The young woman stepped in front of him in haste, and bowed down before his master. Her face almost touched the floor.

"Look up, darling, they forgot to clean it this morning," Sigil stated, his apprentice raised her had within an instant.

"Everything goes as planned, master. The fleet is in defensive position, the Justicars are ready fight for you to the end," she explained.

"They won't be protecting me," he shook his head. Noeya frowned. "You will be the one facing Mira and the Knigths. I will be far from the surface."

"You promised to stay here, master, and face Harmony yourself," she answered.

The guards glanced at them for a moment, then turned away.

"That was a week before," he answered coldly. "At the time, I thought Harmony chose some poor girl whose father got killed in the war. But she had to merge with Rya Venn. This requires a change of course."

"What does that change, master?" Noeya asked cautiously.

"Her consciousness became part of Harmony, just like mine did with the Mentor. Rya is filled with pain, anger and regret. I killed her sister, and now she wants to see everything burn because of it. This makes Harmony even more dangerous than she used to be. Before I knew this, I thought it will be a good idea to lead her here, and fight this battle in my own terms. But knowing Rya, if she ever gets down here, her first act will be annihilating every living being on the planet. Twenty billion people gone within a friction of a second. I'm not going to let that happen."

"Who cares about the people? Victory is all that matters... master," Noeya answered with anger in her eyes.

"No, saving the galaxy from Harmony is all that matters. And there is no such thing as victory against her. There is only defeat, followed by the death and then some time to rebuild my forces. When I defeat her, my first task will be to unite the Unknown Regions under my banner and prepare to establish control over the rest of the galaxy. If Seka Prime is gone, my task will take an eternity to accomplish. I don't have an eternity."

"I understand, master. But how could you prevent her from landing? Isn't she on his way to the planet?" her apprentice asked.

The guards glanced towards him again.

"I will take the fight to them."

* * *

Jaris woke up with Selene beside him. The Twi'lek smiled at him in the bed, wrapping her mechanic arm around his muscular body. They had a wonderful night together, the first one since everything began.

Laying next to her wife, Jaris felt a strange sensation. It was hope. A light in the darkness showing him that everything will be alright in the end. They would kill both Harmony and Mentor, they would go home, where he could fix his marriage and provide Mira the life she deserves to have.

This dream was the only thing that could make him get out of bed. But as he sat up on the soft, silk surface, the mechanic hand tightened its grip around his chest.

"Don't go," he heard the soft voice.

"We will be there soon," he answered. "All will be over after that, I promise you."

"What will be over?" Selene asked, sitting up on the bed. The blanket fell down from her breasts.

"Everything."

"It never ends," she answered, Jaris didn't know what to say. "That's what I love about you. You didn't promise the good old ""we live together and die old"" scenario. You promised me to fight hutts, the Empire and pretty much everyone who forgot to be a decent sentient being," she said with a wide smile on her face.

"You really think that?" he asked, locking eyes with her.

"Of course," she nodded. "You remember Luna? Mira's little sister. The thing we did there, shooting up that tower on Nar Shaddaa, killing the hutt, freeing her with the rest of the slaves... That was the best thing anyone can hope to accomplish."

"What about Kasumi? Or Ann?"

"What about all those we saved? Life ends, sweetheart, that's the way of it. If I die now, at least I can say that I did something good. That I died while trying to save billions. How many people could say that about themselves?" she asked.

"I'm afraid today there will be an awful lot," Jaris sighed.

"No, there won't be. Because we will win, I'm sure of it," she answered, leaning close to him.

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because I married the famous Ex-jedi," Selene said, then kissed him with passion.

Many more kisses followed the first one, and Jaris decided to spend some more time in his cabin.

* * *

By the time the _Traxan_ reached the planet, the High Prophet was already on the bridge with his wife on his side. After Seia passed away, Captain Egon took her place, coordinating their exit above Seka Prime.

"Vectors set, arrival within five seconds, my lord," the tall man stated.

The vast, blue emptiness of hyperspace faded away before them, and the large grey-blue sphere of Seka Prime took its place. The Republic Fleet soon followed him, dozens of Mon Calamari Star Cruisers, Nebulon-B2 frigates and countless X-wings took position around them. On the other side, hundreds of ships and dozens of stations awaited them, however none of them seemed to face them.

"Looks like they expected us from another angle," Captain Egon stated. "I guess this is our lucky day."

"Something doesn't seem right," he answered, searching the Force for answers. "Where is Rya? I thought she will be here already."

"She is not on the ship, my lord," the answer.

He froze. If Harmony wasn't with them, then she had planned for them to fail. Even if she hadn't, the Mentor could do anything he wanted with them.

"Brace for impact! Shields to maximum!" he yelled, but it was too late.

Red fog appeared in the darkness of space, enclosing their fleet within a friction of a second. The _Traxan_ 's shields flickered, and gave out completely. The hull remained intact, but the other ships weren't so lucky. Jaris saw an MC80 Star Cruiser getting ripped to pieces next to them.

"What's happening?" Captain Egon asked, but no answer came to his question.

A bald, brown-robed figure appeared on the bridge, and locked his gaze with Jaris.

"How about a rematch, old friend?" Sigil asked, and ignited his lightsaber.

He came for them. The strongest being in the galaxy was standing on the bridge, ready to kill him and every living soul around him. The first logical order was to run, but surrounded by the midst of the Mentor, there was no place to run. The end has come, and he merely got to choose how would he act in his final moments.

"Kill him!" Jaris ordered, getting his weapon in his hand.

The crew fired at him as one, even Selene took her blasters in her hand, and shot red lasers at the intruder's head. The blaster bolts slowed down in the air, then they froze as the will of the Force compelled them to stop. No other shots were fired. Even the people were frozen who could fire at the intruder.

Only Jaris was able to move and the six knights surrounding him. The trained men and women quickly rushed to their target, but, just like their ordinary friends, they stopped in the middle of their actions, becoming the helpless victims of Sigil's newfound powers.

Jaris tred to step forward, but couldn't move his limbs.

"How convenient?" Sigil broke the silence. "That's what I like about you, Fenn. You achieved a level of stupidity that even I find entertaining. The strongest entity appears in front of you, and what do you do? Attack him! What about talking to the guy? I mean he might be all-powerful, but he still has a soul, a consciousness, and that kind of stuff. But no, let's just attack him, just to be sure," he said, then he turned his gaze towards the frozen battlefield.

Jaris struggled to say something, but Sigil didn't let it happen.

"What about your Protectorate? Oh, I know, let's give it to your mentally challenged daughter who believes that mass murder is what Jedi supposed to do! Did you know that she actually plans for slaughtering twenty billion people down here? Isn't that a great idea? I would say no, but I guess our little Mira was able to achieve a level of mental handicap that even I believed to be impossible," he continued, then he started to approach Selene. "What about a known war maniac who openly wants to kill every single soul in the galaxy? Why don't make an alliance with her? I mean, what's the harm?"

Sigil reached Selene, and gently stroked her green chin. Jaris struggled as hard as he could against his frozen muscles, but to no avail.

"These, you know, I could understand. It was difficult to do so, but I was able to do it somehow. But her? Really?" he frowned. "You found a bounty hunter who just happened to murder her best friend, and you decided to marry her? How did you manage to believe that this is a good idea?" Sigil grabbed the Twi'lek's neck with his hand. "Luckily, I am still around to fix your mistakes."

When Sigil started to choke Selene, he allowed her to move again. The woman desperately stroked his hand, but he held on ever stronger. Even the mechanic arm failed against him; there was no match for the Mentor's immense power.

"You killed her," Sigil said, locking eyes with his victim.

"I didn't want..." Selene said, gasping for air. "I loved her..."

"That's the difference between us. You loved her, but now you are over it. Thing is, I'm not, and I never will be."

He broke her neck.

Jaris tried to yell, but he couldn't make a sound. He desperately tried to move over and over again, however, the Mentor proved to be too strong.

"You want to do great things, Fenn, I give you that. But you believe too much in people. You hope Harmony is stupid enough to die here when this battle was her idea to begin with. You expect Mira to start to be an actual Jedi, even though the very concept of your cause eluded her throughout her entire life. You wish the love of your life would to cease to be murderer, yet even I wasn't able to erase her past. I just merely made sure that she wouldn't be making any more victims. And first and foremost, you believe me not to have a plan. Which, knowing me, is almost impossible to suppose," he explained, and by the time he finished, Jaris could move again.

"You will pay for this!" he yelled, activating his lightsaber, and cutting towards his chest. Sigil jumped back from the attack, holding his lightsaber behind his back.

Jaris struck at him once more, trying to separate his neck from his body, but his enemy stepped back every time he tried something. Fenn continued to attack, striking viciously at Sigil's both sides and his shoulders, but each swing cut into nothing, but thin air.

The Mentor made no move to attack him, he kept stepping out his attacks instead, making him angrier after each attempt. Jaris tried to cut into his opponent's stomach, however Sigil stepped into the side, easily awarding the assault. With no moves against him, Fenn rose the lightsaber up and struck horizontally at the Mentor's shoulder.

Sigil caught the blue blade with his hand, the incredible heat of the plasma was unable to hurt his skin. Fenn tried to get his weapon out of his hand, but then Sigil counterattacked, cutting through his forehand with the purple blade.

"You will die here!" Fenn yelled, holding the burnt chalk in agony.

"Doubt it," Sigil answered, taking a glance at the projection on the wall. Countless ships appeared in the horizon above Zatan Prime, the 16th fleet had arrived with two other armada's at its side.

"And now, Fenn, let's see what can we do with your Jedi kid who has no idea what an actual Jedi supposed to be."

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_

 _Don't forget to leave some feedback ;)_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter XII:**  
Deadlock

The combined 16th, 19th and 3rd fleets had arrived at the dreaded planet of Seka Prime. Mira stood at the _Atega_ 's bridge, glancing at the tactical display in the middle of the room. At first it only showed their forces, five hundred _Traxan_ -class battleships escorted by hundreds of cruisers and countless dreadnoughts, then the sensors picked up the enemy fleet as well.

The people of Seka prime had countless space stations and orbital defenses around the planet, however only a fraction of their fleet had survived the previous engagements. Counting three hundred battleships and nearly twice as many cruisers, the enemy fleet was no match for Mira's forces. Only the planetary defenses posed a challenge, however, being stationary targets, they could be easily outmatched by fast and well-coordinated attacks – just as the Seka ships did it during their assault of Tria.

Mira let a small smile on her face, she was confident about their victory. The enemy won't give up easily, they would inflict immense damage to their ships, but once they broke them, all of their forces could be used to destroy Harmony and the Mentor, cleansing the galaxy from their sinister power once and for all.

The sensor's picked up a third fleet consisting of damaged or destroyed New Republic ships. The _Traxan_ stood intact in the middle of the storm, the rest of the fleet was slowly choked to death by the mist.

"Fenn..." Mira said, as she stood frozen in front the unimaginable levels of destruction. The Mentor easily outmatched his fleet, and when the time comes, he could the same thing with her forces as well.

"Ma'am, the _Traxan_ is haling us!" Admiral Rau turned towards her. He seemed more worried than the others.

"Put them through," she answered with relief in her voice. Maybe, by some means, her father managed to fend off the Mentor.

The tactical map disappeared from the bridge as the connection was established between the two battleships. Mira wanted scream, as she saw Fenn, kneeling in front of their greatest foe with a lightsaber aimed to his neck.

"Not what you expected, your majesty?" Sigil asked, standing over the defeated leader.

Mira couldn't overcome the shock, and as she stood there, unable to move nor to answer, the crew did the same thing. For the people of Tria it was unimaginable to see their great leader weak, captured or defeated. Just like it was impossible for Mira to see her father at the mercy of a madman.

"Don't listen to him!" Jaris said. Sigil put the lightsaber closer to his neck, burning his skin with the heat of the plasma.

"Such a dramatic moment," the Mentor continued. "Of course it wouldn't be that dramatic if you would have noticed how stupid it was to come here in the first place. So, why don't you turn around with your ships, and leave this place for good? If you do that, I might think about letting your father live."

"Let him go!" Mira raised her voice.

"I don't know if you noticed, but that's hardly an option here," he answered.

"Sigil, you don't have to do this!" she continued. As the Mentor, he commanded a degree of power unimaginable for the likes of her. He won't be scared of her, nor would he listen to reason. But Sigil was a human being not long ago, one that had a soul. "We were friends! We were in the same crew! Don't you remember?"

"I do, that's the only reason you have a choice in this matter," Sigil answered. "Leave, and never come back."

"You wanted to teach me about the Force. You wanted to tell Fenn about your battles at the Clone Wars. I remember when Leana was injured, and you were up all night to heal her. We were one team, doesn't that matter to you?" she asked. Her voice began to tremble when she realized Sigil was probably the one who killed Leana.

Then she noticed Selene lying on the floor, ruthlessly killed by the Mentor. Sigil was gone. Now she realized that. She didn't know when it happened, at the moment when he released the Mentor, or even before that. But the man he knew was dead by now, and something else took his place, talking in his voice, speaking as he did, but lacking the soul that made him a human being.

"Turn back, or face the consequences," Sigil repeated.

Mira looked in his cold, determined face, then she looked down with his father, locking eyes with him. Jaris nodded. But it was her decision. She would either kill her father for the greater good or let the entire galaxy suffer the consequences.

The crew was just as frozen as she was, standing in dead silence, awaiting for the final order. They were lost and scared like a child, at this state, they would do anything she commanded to do, knowing that the responsibility would rest on Mira's slender shoulders – and not on theirs.

Mira took a took a deep breath, and made her decision.

"Fire," she said silently, hoping that no one else would hear her cowardice. Because it was a coward's decision after all, choosing the greater good, knowing that the galaxy would consider her a hero. She would never have to explain herself to her father, she would never have to see the level of destruction caused with one simple word. All she would have to say, there was no other choice, and killing Jaris, the greatest sin of all, would be forgiven.

But Sigil heard her, staring at her with anger.

"This was your last mistake, girl," the Mentor raised his voice. He cut deep into the High Prophet's neck, decapitating him with a single blow.

Mira stood there, frozen, as her father lifeless head dropped on the floor. Sigil stared at her with fury in his eyes, like she was forcing to kill an old friend. And she did force him, she did that. She was a coward.

But now there was no way back.

"Fire!" she repeated, and the _Atega_ 's bridge woke up from their dreadful dream. Dozens of crewman began their work over their terminals, relaying orders the other ships, acquiring new targets for the armada.

The combined might of the three fleets fired as one, unleashing a deadly rain of plasma rays upon the seka warships. As the first shots collided into the large, circular shield of the battlecruisers, the opposing fleet returned fire, unleashing all power from their mighty cannons.

Blue and green projectiles filled the darkness of space above the planet. One of the seka battleships was ripped apart by the _Atega_ 's main cannon, then a smaller cruiser suffered the same fate from another dreadnought. Mira glanced at the tactical map, outnumbering the enemy fleet, their losses were small compared to their enemies.

Then, raking the sounds of the upcoming victory, Seka Prime's defense stations fired torpedoes and plasma rays at the enemy fleet. The shot instantly ripped apart a cruiser and broke the shields a capital ship. The large hull of the trian battleships could take some hits, however the planet's orbital defenses could inflict a lot more than that. The mile-long defense cannons shot through the sky, hitting the enemy ship with their thick, green shots, carving holes in its armored and hull – and a second later –, ripping the magnificent ship into two.

As the ship's blue silhouette vanished from the map, Mira realised the bad position they got themselves into. Seemingly they had the upper hand, but they were caught between the fleet, the stations and the orbital defenses, unable to outmanoeuvre the cannons or to crush the enemy fleet in time.

The bad seemed to turn to worse as she glanced at the New Republic armada. The _Traxan_ was still intact, however two third of the fleet was gone. As soon as Sigil finished with them, he would unleash his wrath upon the forces, sealing their fate once and for all.

Another battleship was shot into pieces by the orbital defenses, and as the ship's hull drifted into the atmosphere, Mira found the solution.

"All cruisers and corvettes converge on the enemy fleet!" she ordered, and the crew relayed the order at once. Only one voice dared to oppose her.

"Ma'am?" Admiral Rau asked.

"We can pick them off with the main cannons while they are busy with our ships," she explained. The cruisers would suffer heavy losses, however their main ships could quickly take care of the enemy and focus on the stations.

"What about the cannons?" he asked. With Seka Prime's shielding only the main cannons were strong enough to hurt them, however the Supreme Leader decided to aim at the enemy fleet with them.

"We get them on the ground," she answered, and raised her voice to give further orders. "All ships prepare their landing pods! We commence the invasion at once. We will focus on their defenses and the shield generators. Me and a group of knights will attack the Temple," she continued.

They had to commit all their forces at once since there was no knowing how long they would be here. Even if Mira's method worked, and they would win the space battle, the Mentor could destroy them soon enough.

Mira walked to the exit, then she stopped in front of the door.

"Admiral Rau, the fleet will be in your hands while I am away," she said, as the man nodded. "If I don't send further orders, the 7th fleet is to bomb the planet as soon as it arrives."

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded.

It was a bold move, but their situation made it necessary to commit. If the Mentor was to win the battle, they had to severely damage to his power base in order to halt his further advancement.

* * *

The assault pods were ready to launch as soon as Mira climbed in to the closest one. She was struggling with her tears. As she gave to launch signal, the countdown had begun.

The _Traxan_ shot the pad towards the planet's surface. For a moment, she was able to see the battle from the window, then there was only the darkness of space, then the dreadful fight that unfolded around the sieged planet of Seka Prime.

The robust seka battleships gave hell for the smaller Trian cruisers as they approached them. The battleships could easily handle the lasers and their point defenses obliterated the torpedoes before they would reach them, however as they unleashed their fire power on the cruisers, the biggest Trian ships were ready to fire, gliding in safe distance from the enemy.

Dozens of battleships fired their main cannons upon their targets, destroying half of the dreadnoughts at once. As the ships burning hulls fell apart, the orbital defenses claimed two more victims from the combined armada's.

They had to take them down fast, otherwise they would have no power to fight the Mentor – if they could fight him all. She looked back at the New Republic fleet, and she witnessed the impossible. Blue fog appeared around the red one, and the galaxy's strongest entities unleashed fierce lightning as they started to tear each other apart.

"Don't worry, Mira, I am here with you," she heard a familiar voice.

"Rya?" she asked with surprise in her voice.

"From now on, you can call me Harmony," the Twi'lek answered.

She tried to hide the shock as much as she could. She knew what Harmony was up to, but she didn't understand why. But now it was all clear to her. Sigil killed Ann, and Rya had sworn to kill him for it. Just as Sigil lost his soul to the Mentor, the same thing happened when she offered herself to Harmony. Her body remained, her goals remained, however her soul was long gone by now. Rya would have never hurt others to take vengeance, but Harmony would tear the whole galaxy apart in hope that she will avenge the death of her sister.

"Don't worry, I will take care of Sigil up here," Rya told her.

"I know," Mira nodded, a tear ran down on cheek.

"All you have to do is to kill Noeya," Harmony continued. "She is the most dedicated follower of the Mentor, thus she has to eliminated at all cost."

Eliminated. Her best friend, the young woman she once trusted a sister, was to be eliminated for the greater good. Mira didn't answer, she just stared at the fiery horizon of the Seka Prime, as the pod descended into the atmosphere.

The planetary defenses tried to shot down the pods, however they were too fast, thus they could only shoot down a portion of them. As the pod next to her was shot into pieces, Mira wished it was hers. Death would have made everything easier. She wouldn't have to face her best friends as her foe, she wouldn't have to live with the weight of her cowardice.

But her pod arrived in piece onto the surface, colliding into the Dark Temple's long, ivory stairs. Other pods have arrived there already, sending knights into the depths of the large, pyramid-shaped building.

Mira stepped out the pod, breathing the dreadful air of the surface. Countless bodies littered the stairs, both seka and trian. She grabbed her lightsaber into her hand, and began to march to the entrance. A few knights joined her, knowing that this would be greatest – if not thel last – battle of their life.

The sound of colliding lightsaber welcomed them in the large, dark hull of the courtyard. Half of the large, thick columns were cut into two, dead knights and seka justicars lay on the ground, believing that they died for the glory of the gods. At the end of the courtyard, Mira had seen Noeya Adene, the real Noeya Adane.

The Sith cut the last remaining knight into two, and locked eyes with the Supreme Leader.

"Finally, some real challenge," Noeya said, making ready for battle. Half a dozen Justicars joined her, standing tall alongside their leader.

"We are not enemies. They played us from the start," Mira stated, hoping that she could evade the final fight. She could have defeat Noeya if she wanted to, but killing her would be the last stroke for her broken soul.

"Yet you do exactly what they expect of you." the Sith asked.

"You don't know _anything_ about what it took me to get here," she explained. "We need to stop both Harmony and the Mentor, they are the real enemy."

"Nobody can stop them," Noeya nodded. "But you came here to murder people anyway. Why? How does it help anyone?"

"We have to eliminate their power base," she answered.

"Which would be twenty billion people," Noeya sighed.

"Compared to the entire galaxy," Mira snapped.

"That doesn't make it a solution." Noeya answered coldly. "Call back your ships, let them play their own game."

"And let everyone die?" she asked. Noeya didn't answer. "Noeya, don't force me..." she added, igniting her lightsaber.

"But I do force you," she answered, slowly approaching her. "Everything is black and white to you. You think just because you are with the good guys, every decision you make is automatically good. But guess what, sometimes there is no good and evil, there is just right or wrong. And this is wrong Mira. It's wrong in every level imaginable. So if you want to go on with your plan, I guess you have to consider me part of his power base as well."

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_

 _Don't forget to leave some feedback ;)_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter XIII:**  
Vengeance

The 7th fleet had arrived above the cursed planet. As the fifty battleships and their escorts glided towards the battlefield, Jiu Lei was more worried than ever. Harmony and the Mentor waged their fight over the remains of the New Republic armada while the Supreme Leader's forces were stuck in a deadlock between the defender's remaining forces and the orbital defenses.

The High Priest didn't have to wait for further instructions to know what was about to happen. Even if the combined 16th, 19th and 3rd fleets could overcome the enemy, the two entities would easily rip them apart in their rage. Their ships didn't stand a chance against their powers, thus only one option remained for them: to reduce the Mentor's power base at all costs.

"We received the order, my grace," an officer turned towards him. "Supreme Leader Mira Wess ordered us to bomb the planet. But she is down there."

"Her sacrifice will be remembered," Lei answered, turning his gaze back to the surface. "All ships prepare for orbital bombardment. I expect no survivors."

"Yes sir," the officer nodded.

The battleships turned their side on the target area, unleashing deadly salvos upon the surface. Once the defenders realized what was happening, all remaining orbital defenses were aimed at the 7th fleet, relieving the stress from the main forces. As the crude, green plasma shots collided with the capital ships shields, Lei knew exactly what to do.

"Prepare all cannons to commence fire upon their defenses. If their shield is weak enough, a few shots might just get through," he stated as a cruiser was blown into a thousand pieces before of him.

"My grace, the enemy shield is down. The ground invasion took out or damaged all of their generators beyond repair," the captain stated.

"Ground invasion?" he asked.

"We have two-hundred thousand on the surface."

The report struck him like lightning. Killing Mira was one thing, he hated her and Fenn from the very day he met them. They were nothing more than liars and thieves. But their men were different, they were honest people, willing to fight for the good cause.

"My grace, are we still to bomb the planet?" the captain asked.

Lei looked down the planet one more time, and took a deep breath.

"We are," he nodded, and the rain of fire began to unveil on the cursed planet.

Hundreds of cannons fired upon the surface, reducing the enemy defenses to ash within mere seconds. In the midst of the rain of fire, even more shots had arrived, burning through the atmosphere, ripping pieces out of the surface as they collided into the planet.

He stood silently as the small, yellow dots emerged in the midst of the most populated areas, and then expanded, each consuming the area of a city itself. The once lush planet's surface slowly became the ground of ash and molten metal, serving as the grave of an entire civilization.

"May the Goddess watch over us all," he said, then continued to observe a genocide that most people couldn't even comprehend.

* * *

The air froze between Mira Wess and Noeya Adane. As the two opponents raised their lightsabers, the remaining knights and justicars did the same.

"You don't have to do this," Mira said.

The Sith didn't answer.

They locked eyes for a moment. The Supreme Leader had seen the vicious gaze of a lost girl who was forced to do the wrong thing for the wrong reasons. But now there was no one to force her.

"What else could I do?" Noeya raised her voice.

"Stand down," Mira answered, and then fell silent as she felt the unfolding destruction. Millions of people screamed and then remained silent, shots collided on the surface, reducing everything to ash in their wake.

Then she felt the similar feeling, only it was in here – and in the very next moment.

"Duck!" Mira yelled as the projectile hit the ground.

The ground shook beneath them as the explosion burned the surface to ash, reaching even the Dark Temple itself. The black walls were torn to pieces as the tower was ripped out of place and pushed down to the surface from above their heads. They could see the air again, only it was filled with fire and death.

Standing in the ground, they had no option but to stay on the floor and try to protect themselves from the flames. And the fire did come, so fast and so hot that only trained Jedi and Sith could deal with their wrath.

A hot piece of metal flew towards Mira, but when she sensed it, it was too late. She awaited the deadly impact, but it never came. As she looked up from the ground, she had seen a knight standing in front of her with the deadly metal stuck in his body.

"It was an honor... my grace..." the knight said, then he collapsed dead on the ground.

The worst was over. Mira stood up from the ground, realizing that most of the knights and justicars have died from flames, and the debris took care the rest of them. It was only her and the Noeya, the only two who had the sufficient strength and training to deal with the explosion.

"Murderer!" Noeya raised her voice, activating the red lightsaber. "There were millions of people here you kriffing brat!"

"I couldn't let them have this planet. If we fail, the galaxy needs to have a chance," Mira answered.

"With this?" Noeya shook her head.

"Like you did anything else when you attacked Tria," she snapped.

"Sithspawn! I attacked military targets, but this?" she glanced back at the fiery horizon in the place of their beloved city. "You lost your kriffing mind!"

"You were trained to kill, you know very well that sometimes it needs to be done. If the Mentor and Harmony..."

"No," she cut into her words. "You are not going to excuse yourself. They are gods, we are insects for them, that's why they do what they do. But for you? No, this is wrong. This is just wrong."

"Go ahead, pretend that you are so much better," Mira yelled at her. "You joined the Mentor out of choice. But I never had any kind of choice."

"I joined him, because that was the only way he would let you live," Noeya said, then she assumed attack position. "I should have let you die back then."

"You lie," Mira yelled.

"Yeah, right," she stated. "Just keep pretending that you are to good one, just keep pretending it."

Mira didn't believe her for a second. She knew the stakes, she knew what had to be done in order save the galaxy from the Mentor. She knew very well that this planet had to be scorched to dust – alongside with everyone who followed Sigil.

She tilted her lightsaber behind her back, and attacked the person whom once she called her best friend. Noeya was ready for the attack, putting her lightsaber in front of the green blade approaching her neck.

The two blades scorched each other for a second, then Mira pulled her weapon back, getting ready for another assault. She struck towards Noeya's side, but the Sith stepped out of the way, and counterattacked within an instant. She seen the red blade approaching her legs, and the Force told her exactly what to do.

The Supreme Leader jumped up from the ground, landing on her feet behind her opponents back. She slashed with her lightsaber backwards, however Noeya was prepared for that move, stopping the red blade from centimetres from her body.

Mira kicked back, hitting the Sith in her stomach. While Noeya stumbled back on the floor, she turned back towards her, getting ready to unleash her wrath on her opponent. Noeya was preparing for another lightsaber strike, but Mira used the Force instead, raising the hot debris from the ground, and launching the small pieces towards the Sith.

She expected Noeya stopping them with the Force, but she didn't expect that she would redirect them towards her. She who was cut off guard by the assault, the pieces cut deep into her flesh, making her face, chest and arms burn in pain. But that didn't break her spirit.

Mira stood there, grinning at her opponent who assumed fighting stance ten feet before her.

"Give up, or die!" Noeya yelled at her.

"Never! I won't let the galaxy to be ruled by the Mentor!" she answered, getting ready for the upcoming attack.

"So it should burn, just like this planet?" Noeya asked.

"Yes, it should."

"Very well, then," she answered. "Die."

Noeya jumped up from the ground, attacking her from the air. Mira leapt out of her way, but she didn't get far enough. Noeya jumped towards her like a wild nexu, kicking the lightsaber out of her hand, and stabbing the red blade into her flesh.

* * *

Amidst of the fierce battle over the planet, Sigil stood at the _Traxan_ 's bridge, gazing upon the death of a whole civilization. The orbital bombardment was burning ever brighter, ripping apart the cities on the surface, killing billions of people in their wake.

Rya stepped into the room, and ignited her lightsaber. The Mentor continued to observe the screen, showing no concern towards her.

"So this would be your grand resolution," he broke the silence. "Killing everyone who stands in your way, and then eliminating those who were helping you in the end."

"They shall be in harmony with the Force," Rya stated. "Their body disintegrates to dust, creating jungles, fields and mountains. Their soul will be reunited with those they loved as they became one with the Force, and begin their road to our dimension."

Sigil took a deep breath, and turned towards the Twi'lek.

"Like your sister?" he turned back. "Do you know what's left of her? Scattered memories, thoughts, emotions tangled up with thousands and thousands of others. She is not a person anymore. Even if you picked up all of her soul and all of her remains, and put it back together, I'm not sure you would like the result."

"She is dead, just like everyone else will be when I'm done," Harmony answered.

"Not until I draw breath," he said, igniting the purple lightsaber.

"You would stop me? Why? To watch it happen again?" Rya asked.

"To control them. To make it end in a good way."

"You don't end _it_ by simple telling them to stop _it_. The living are _it_ themselves. They are violent, irrational, scared, incapable of realizing what _it_ is, or why _it_ is bad in the first place."

"I've seen many things in my life, even before this. I've been to the clone wars, I've survived Order 66, I've fought Darth Vader, I even took my part in this war. I knew _it_ , I don't just remember _it_ like you do because only one of my earlier forms lived _it_ before."

"Yes, you know _it_ better than I do. But do you know the why _it_ exists?"

"Power is the why of _it_ ," Sigil stated. "I have the power, I can control them with _it_ , guiding them onwards until _it_ ends."

"Fear is the reason behind _it_ ," Rya said. "The fear of the unknown, the fear of others and themselves as well. They fear themselves, an _it_ erupts in their soul. They wage _it_ in themselves, thus they extend _it_ to other whom they equally start to fear. And eventually, _it_ consumes them, making them kill each other. That's how I lost my sister, that's how you lost Kasumi."

"You don't believe this yourself," Sigil shook his head. "You blame me for killing her, and you want to kill me because you think it will solve _it_. For a long while, I believed in the same thing, but as you can see," he glanced at Selene's dead body. "I did take vengeance, and it didn't help by a bit."

Rya remained silent.

"But you knew that already, didn't you?" Sigil asked. "Yet you still want to kill me, because of your wrath guides you onward. Wrath, that would continue to rage on within you, getting stronger and stronger as you slaughter one planet after the other. _It_ will consume you, unless you face _it_ , but I guess you don't have the courage for that, do you?"

"You took from me the only person who mattered to me. I cannot let you walk away from this."

"Of course you don't. You want to run. You lost who was dear to you, and now you are too afraid to face the loss. You just want to go on killing everyone in your way until you reach the end of the line. You say that fear is what makes people kill each other, but you are afraid yourself,"

"No, it makes _it_ ," Rya answered. "There is no living being without fear. Killing all living is the only way to get rid of conflict, and that is exactly I aim to do. Meanwhile you are afraid of _it_ as well, so afraid that you want to conquer the whole galaxy in hope that you could lie down one day without fear."

"At least I can accept my fear, and I am ready to live with _it_."

"And you are a fool to do so," Rya answered. "Death will solve everything. There will be no fear, no pain, no conflict. And finally, when the galaxy got rid of all of these, I shall end my existence, and _it_ shall end as well."

"Then this is indeed your grand solution," he sighed. "All right then, come at me, and we shall see if you get to die now, or at the end of the road."

"Gladly," Rya nodded, and ignited her lightsaber.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_

 _Don't forget to leave some feedback ;)_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter XIV:**  
Reason

As Rya rushed towards Sigil, he made ready for the attack. He deflected the blow towards his chest with ease, then he pushed his foe back with the purple blade. By the time the Twi'lek stumbled back, and regained her balance, Sigil was already launching his counterattack, striking a horizontal blow towards her head.

Rya didn't raise her saber to deflect the blow, and in that moment, Sigil knew something was wrong. The Twi'lek kicked him in the chest, sending him through the bridge's fortified wall. The steel broke behind his back with the sound of roaring thunder, just as the next one standing after it, and the one that lay behind it. Only the third corridor was able to withstand the massive force of the impact, bending wildly behind his back.

Rya approached him with a confident smile on her face, however the Mentor was far for being done for. He jumped up from the ground, getting ready for the next attack. A second later the Twi'lek had indeed reached him, striking to his side with the green lightsaber. Sigil could easily deflect the blow, and he wasted no time after he did so: as the two blades collided into one another, he kicked Harmony in the chest, making her fall to the ground. Rya tried to get up, but in the next moment, he kicked her in the guts, and watched as the green body carved a path through the wall, bouncing back to the floor from the second corridor.

"You have to be stopped," the Twi'lek said, as she slowly stood up from the ground.

"You are welcome to try," Sigil answered, walking to the damaged corridor. He didn't dare to attack her right away, he was smarter than that. Much like her sister, Rya performed exceptionally in combat when her life was at risk, but she made the ugliest mistakes when she thought she had upper hand.

"Gladly," Rya answered, throwing her lightsaber at her opponent.

The blade disassembled itself in the air as it flied towards Sigil, only to be reassembled behind his back, striking him from a seemingly unexpected direction.

But he expected it.

By the time the saber would reach him, the hilt was in pieces once again. Rya struggled to reassemble it, however she was unable to do so.

"Interesting," Sigil stated as he ordered the ligtsaber into his hand. "Let's see something better."

He raised his free hand in the air, braking the _Traxan_ 's walls into pieces with the Force – alongside with everything embedded within them. He only spared the dead bodies of the crew, the rest became toys in his hand, whirling around him like a tornado.

Rya looked around with fear in her eyes, trying to do the same thing to defend herself. The corridor slowly tore itself into pieces, and she could only gather the fraction of his tools before Sigil felt the time is right for the attack.

As he moved his hand forward, the vicious storm of broken metal struck down Rya, hitting her slender body, and pushing her with them through the remains of the bridge, the corridors behind it, straight into the _Traxan_ 's main reactor.

Sigil moved swiftly through the broken corridors until he saw the Twi'lek lying wounded on the floor, illuminated by the blue light of the barely functioning fusion reactor. By the time the Twi'lek raised her head from the ground, the Mentor struck her down with the lightsaber.

Rya had managed to protect herself from the plasma, thus the strike sent her back to the floor instead of splitting the Twi'lek into two. Sigil watched as she tried to get up again, bearing a long, burned a scar on her chest and neck. She tried to stand up, but her hand slipped on the floor, sending her back where she started.

Harmony raised her head once again, only to see the Mentor's blade glowing in front of her. She froze, awaiting the fate he had in store for her.

"It was a nice speech you gave on the bridge," Sigil broke the silence. "But we both know you came here to die, and to drag everyone else with you."

"If I die, I shall be reborn, stronger than ever," she answered. "My new form will be unstoppable."

"I won't kill you," Sigil answered, deactivating his lightsaber.

Rya's eyes widened, then her confusion turned into anger.

"If you spare me I will kill everyone you cared for! I will wreak havoc in the galaxy until..."

"No. You will hide from the face of the world, thinking about what you did over and over again, as you prepare for our second encounter. Which will either happen, or don't," he stated, glancing at the reactor behind the Twi'lek. After all that happened here, it was a miracle that it still functioned.

"Why would I do that?" she frowned.

"Because you will want to stop me from ruling the galaxy."

"You will do that either way. If you kill me now, you will rule all when my rebirth comes. But at least one day, I will have the strength to destroy it all," Rya answered, glaring at him viciously, waiting for the blow he never intended to make.

"Not without my planet," he shook his head. "That little brat managed to ruin my plans, I have to give her that. The Seka are done for, the people of Tria follow you, and the rest... Let's say I meddled enough with the New Republic and the Remnant to know that it will take a lot of time ruling all that."

"If I die today, I shall be more than able to stop you," Rya answered.

"Then how would you talk with your sister?" he crossed his eyebrows.

"The crystals are gone. I used all of them to make my agents. I won't see her again, and without her, my life is meaningless."

Sigil took the shaper crystal out of his pocket, and threw it on the ground in front of her.

"I recovered it from Leana. It has at least week in it."

Rya grabbed the crystal within an instant. She inspected in with her hand, and then she smiled for the first time in a very long time.

"Why?" she turned her gaze up to Sigil.

"It's the only way to stop you."

"But you could see Kasumi with it," Rya stated, looking back to the crystal, thinking about the week she would spend with her sister.

"It's the only way to stop you," he said after a long sigh.

"What if I come back to kill you?"

"You won't," he shook his head. "She will make you remember who you were, why you fought, and what it means to do the right thing. If that's not enough to make you see what has become of you, then nothing is."

Rya stood up from the ground, staring deep into the crystal.

"I bet she would. She was a good person," she answered, smiling in excitement.

"That she was," Sigil nodded. "That she was."

* * *

Mira was on the ground, staring coldly at the lightsaber held to her throat. Her weapon had lain on the ground a few inches from her. She could easily reach it, problem is, it was just as easy for Noeya to kill her before she could get the weapon.

"Why, Mira? Why do this?" Noeya raised her voice, the hilt was shaking in her hand.

"He has to be stopped. They have to be stopped," she answered, concentrating on a piece of debris lying beside them.

"Then you are beyond help."

"The same goes for you," she answered. Then the debris hit Noeya, sending her flying to the other side of the desolate throne room.

Mira quickly got up from the ground, getting her lightsaber in her hand. She rushed towards Noeya, making sure she had no chance to get up in time. As soon as she reached the wounded Sith, she rose her lightsaber in the air, striking at her friend.

Noeya rolled out of the attack in the last second, and jumped to her feet before the next one would arrive. The Sith quickly reactivated the red blade, ready to end the fight that already raged for too long.

"Give up, then I won't hurt you," Mira stated. Despite all that happened, she still hoped that the Sith would see reason, and help her to stop their true enemies.

"You would, Mira. You would," she raised her voice.

Mira got ready for her next attack, rushing towards her foe on the ground, and jumping behind her back in the last second. Most of her enemies would have never expected such a bold move, but the Sith did. Noeya closed her eyes, and stabbed the saber into her stomach.

Mira dropped her lightsaber, looking down on the blade cutting into her flesh. Noeya pulled the saber out of her. She collapsed on the ground. The blade didn't go deep, only about inch or so, but the pain of the impossibly hot plasma numbed her beyond belief. She tried to get up from the ground, but the pain took the better out of her.

"Why?" she asked with barely enough strength to speak.

"I guess I'm weak," Noeya answered, looking down to her. "I can't even kill a mass murderer."

"But... I thought..." she tried to speak, her strength was fading away by the second.

"Goodbye, sis," Noeya stated, and started off towards the stairs leading down to the burned city. "Take care," she stopped, then she continued her way down to her hidden ship.

* * *

After his shuttle had landed, Jiu Lei stepped to the surface of the desolate Dark Temple. He questioned every single step on the way. Jaris Fenn was dead, the Seka were almost done for, and now he could get rid of Mira as well. All he had to do was leave her here, instead of carrying her back to the _Atega_ where she would get full medical attention.

But he did carry her back to the shuttle, putting her down on a comfortable seat in the passenger's hall. He struggled with the question of why, however as the shuttle rose from the atmosphere, he realized, it wasn't really about who he saved. It was about saving someone – anyone – at the midst of the unbelievable destruction.

"Lei..." Mira said, as she opened her eyes.

"I'm taking you back to the ship, my grace," he answered, refusing to turn back to her in the chair. "Harmony and the Mentor are gone. We did it."

"I'm not your grace," she answered.

"As the daughter of the High Prophet, you are the air to the throne." Saying the mere fact struck his soul beyond belief. He watched Fenn almost ruin the Protectorate, and now he had to see Mira finish the job. And he had to do all that because he refused to save one person from certain death.

"I'm not going to rule anyone..." she shook her head.

"What do you mean, my grace?" he turned back. A small ray of hope ignited in his soul, maybe the Protectorate is not lost after all. "The war still rages on, Supreme Leader, we need guidance in order to win the great war and rebuild what's left of our civilization.

"You will really win, no one will really rebuild," she answered coldly. "We just prepare for the next war, then the next, and the next."

"We will stop it this time, my grace. This is the war of the wars, the last conflict mankind ever have to face," he said with anger in her soul. He was glad the Mira would leave, but her childish attitude annoyed him beyond measure. "Once we exterminate the aliens, there will be nothing left in the way of eternal peace."

"We would keep doing it, as we always did..."

"Forgive me, my grace, but that is nonsense," he said, as the shuttle left the planet's atmosphere, arriving into a graveyard of starships. The combined fleets did defeat the seka armada, but victory came at a terrible cost.

"Then why is there always war?"

"Because they are evil. But if we exterminate them, there will be no evil."

Mira gave out a painful laugh.

"We killed twenty billion people today, and you really think that we are the good guys?" she asked, trying to laugh again.

"Then what do you think, what are we, my grace?" Lei said, manoeuvring towards the _Atega_ , one of the handful ships that survived the battle.

"The same."

"Why leave then?"

"If I have to fight, I will wage my own battles," Mira answered. "At least those are worth to be waged."

"I don't know, my grace," Lei scratched his head. "This was something definitely worth fighting for."

"Then you have no idea about war."

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_

 _Don't forget to leave some feedback ;)_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter XV:**  
Burden

Mira stood silently over the graves on the once joyful planet of Naboo. She glared at the stones with tears in her eyes, watching the leaves slowly fall over the maddening piles of dirt.

"I'm sorry dad. I'm so sorry mom..." she said after an impossibly long minute of grief.

Choosing the location of the graves proved to be one of the hardest decisions of her life. Jaris never said anything specific about it, but once he mentioned jokingly that he wants it to rest on the most beautiful planet in the galaxy, so the ones who cared about him could pay their respects in comfort.

Jaris was right. He was right about everything. Mira left behind all that mattered to her when she arrived at the Unknown Regions, and now she did the same thing by leaving the Protectorate of Tria. She had no home, no battle to wage. The only thing she wanted was to be with Fenn – and she could do that if she stayed on Naboo instead of going for another reckless adventure. It seemed as an eternity had passed since then.

Mira got everything she wanted, and she gave it all away for one stupid decision. She didn't stop the Mentor, nor Harmony, they continued to wage their own battle, and then they disappeared from the face of the galaxy. Only the Force knew for how long.

She thought about fighting them, or of aiding the New Republic, but after her battle with Noeya, it made no sense to fight against any of her foes. She lost faith in war, she lost faith in herself, and she had no idea about how to live with the burden of her actions.

There was only one solution to end the pain, but taking her life felt nothing but another cowardly move to push the responsibility away. She did what she did, and it was time to face the consequences – it was time to live with the burden.

"He was a good man, you know. He tried to do the right thing," Carlos said, standing beside her. "You should remember him that way."

"I will," Mira nodded. Her face turned to red, one tear glided over her soft skin after the other.

"Don't cry because of us," he leaned close to her. "Everyone dies. We can only make sure that it will be worth it in the end. And if you think about it. If you think through all the crazy things we did, you know that it was worth it."

"It's not fair. I should be there too," Mira answered. "Why can't I be there?"

"Because you are the only one left with the flame," Carlos answered. "You have to carry our memories. Without you, folks would forget all the important bits."

"I will," she answered after a few seconds of silence. "How did it happen?" she added a minute later.

"Oh, well..." he looked down on the graves. "It happened when we arrived to the Unknown Regions with Leana. The fleet hammered the Queen, and almost destroyed it. In the report, I wrote that only Leana died, but I died there too, holding her in my hand. Harmony thought it would make sense to replace me then, and only resurrect Leana later."

"You made it count," Mira said, looking in his eyes.

"You should too," Carlos said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Promise me that you will."

"I will," she nodded.

The man vanished afterwards. Only a small, burnt crystal remained in his place, it fell on the ground covered with grass and small pieces of freshly dug earth. Mira picked it up, and placed it over the grave with the name Carlos Dahn on it.

She wondered where the third crystal was, although it mattered little after the battle. It lost its importance, just as everything else. She said sorry one more time for all she had done, then she left the graveyard, leaving her family, friends and her old self behind.

She never returned to either of them.

What was _it_?

* * *

 _Thank you for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)_

 _Although the story ends here, this is not my final story with Mira. She also appears in one of my earlier stories, The Fall of a Noble Soul, and she is also a prominent character in one of my currently running stories, The Knight of the First Order – so if you want to read more about her, you can :) I'm not planning to continue these adventures to infinity and beyond. In fact, The Knight of The First Order will probably be the last one with her. I'm planning to make an entirely different story afterwards._

 _Thank you again for reading it all the way through!_

 _And also: don't forget to leave some feedback ;)_


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